What Comes Next
by Authoress-in-training
Summary: When 14-year-old Alyssa of Sparx sets foot on the Alfea campus, she has no idea how the forthcoming year will change her life forever... PART 1 OF 3
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

I pressed my nose against the window of the portal taxi, practically salivating as I took in the view of the realm of Magix, which would be my new home for the next three years. Lush forests, a sparkling lake, a fantastic technology-inspired city, and the beautiful, sprawling campus of the Alfea College for Fairies, my new school. After fourteen years of never being allowed off of Sparx, this was almost like sensory overload. I sighed happily, resisting the urge to giggle like a little girl at the thought of all that freedom.

"Now, Alyssa, are you sure you remembered everything?" Rolling my eyes, I reluctantly pulled my gaze away from the window and turned to face my dad, who'd insisted on going with me. He was the one fly in my ointment on this otherwise perfect day.

"Yes, Dad."

"Do you have your inter-realm calling card so you can call home?"

"Yes, Dad."

"Are you absolutely certain you didn't forget anything you might need?"

"_Yes, __Dad_, I'm sure. Now will you _please_ stop treating me like a child?"

His eyes flashed angrily. That was the thing about gold eyes – they reflected emotions so much more than any other shade I'd ever seen. And lucky me, guess what color mine are? Even better, although the magical dimension is home to some very interesting genetics, I'd never seen anyone else with eyes like ours. It was the subject of many a teasing taunt when I was in elementary school; Cat-Eyes, they called me. "Darling, you know I only have your best interests at heart."

"Yeah, and I _love_ having basically no social life because of your rulebook the size of five spell books." Normally I tried not to provoke him, especially when he was in a mood, but my freedom was close I could practically taste it, and he wanted to lecture me again? Not cool.

I saw his jaw set angrily, although thankfully he didn't say anything. The taxi pulled to a stop at the Alfea gates, and I saw the driver turn around and look at us anxiously. He'd been giving Dad funny looks the whole drive, so I thought nothing of it. "We're here, Miss."

My hand hovered over the door handle. "Um… I guess this is goodbye, then."

"Goodbye, Alyssa." He hesitated, then leaned over and gave me a quick hug. I caught the briefest whiff of the smoky, spicy scent I'd learned to associate with him over the years before he pulled back, and unexpectedly, I felt a little melancholy. No matter how much he got on my nerves, Dad _was_ the only family I had left. "Have fun, and stay safe. I'll call you tonight."

"Okay." I quickly grabbed my bags and got out of the taxi before either of us could say or do something to mess up the moment. As I watched the taxi drive away, I will admit I was a little sad. But only for about ten seconds. Then I turned around and started to explore my gorgeous new school.

It was almost immediately apparent that Alfea was enormous. And in all the orientation literature they'd sent me, there had been nothing about how to find my way around. What I _should_ have done was ask someone for directions, but all those years of being the girl with the freaky eyes and super-strict dad had left me with the social skills of a dormouse. And all the other girls seemed to already know each other, even the freshmen… it was intimidating.

"Hey, are you lost?" I looked up to see a super-skinny blond girl with enormous hazel eyes staring at me. "You look super confused. Maybe I can help." She outstretched a hand for me to shake, threatening to overturn her piles of couture luggage. "My name is Lola, princess of Solaria. And you are?"

"Alyssa, from Sparx." I took her hand hesitantly, a little unnerved by her warm, friendly smile. Girls like her – in her tiny skirt and designer heels, she was undoubtedly like the girls who'd teased me growing up – didn't talk to weird girls like me without ulterior motives.

"You're a freshman, right? So am I," she continued, before I even had a chance to nod. "But my mom's told me everything there is to know about this place, so I can totally help you out. What dorm are you in?"

"Um, Suite 12," I said, struggling to recall the info that had been on the orientation packet.

Her eyes lit up. "Me too! That's so awesome. My mom said that's where she stayed when she went to school here. Come on, it's down this way." Then without warning, she linked her arm through mine and started pulling me down the hall.

"That must be nice, to have your mom give you all that info about Alfea," I said, trying to make conversation.

She cocked her head to the side. "Didn't yours? Or did she go to another school? Ugh, I hope she wasn't a Beta girl. They are such brats."

Unconsciously, I reached up and twisted my gold heart-shaped locket on its chain around my neck. "I don't know. She died when I was four."

"Oh, sweetie." Lola stopped abruptly in the middle of the hallway and placed her hand comfortingly on my arm, oblivious to the traffic jam she was causing. "I'm so sorry. That's awful."

I swallowed hard. "Thank you. But I mean, it was years ago. I'm okay now."

"Still. I'm sorry. What a horrible thing. How did it happen?"

I bit the inside of my cheek. Everyone who found out always asked this question, and the only answer I was able to give always made me sound like even more of a weirdo than they already thought I was. "Um, I'm not sure. I don't really remember it, and my dad is so secretive about her. It's like he's trying to forget she ever existed."

Lola made a face. "Sounds like a real uptight guy." She started walking again, and I followed quickly, thankful that the focus was no longer so intently on my life.

"Oh, you have _no_ idea," I griped. "He practically had me on a leash back home. I'm sort of surprised he even agreed to send me to Alfea, where he couldn't watch over me twenty-four seven."

She laughed. "Poor you. Well, you're here now. And speaking of which, so are we." She threw open the double doors in front of us to reveal a sunny common area with a couch and a couple chairs arranged conversationally around a coffee table, a flat-screen TV hanging on the far wall. There were four doors, each marked off by a whiteboard with two names written on it – obviously the room assignments. Four other girls were already there, lounging on the furniture or, in the case of one pretty dark-haired girl, sprawled out across the carpet.

"You're finally here!" a tall girl with waist-length dark blond hair and lightly tanned skin exclaimed, leaping up from the couch. "Hi, I'm Ivy, from Limphea. And you are?"

"Princess Lola of Solaria," Lola said before I could even get my mouth open. "And this is Alyssa. She's from Sparx."

"Sparx, you say?" A pale-skinned girl with choppy, shoulder-length bright pink hair appeared at my side, holding something that looked sort of like a mini laptop, but way more futuristic and cool. "I've always wanted to go there – it has _such_ a fascinating history. What's it like?"

"Um…" I stuttered, caught off-guard.

"Dee, don't freak her out before she gets a chance to settle in," Ivy chided. "And at least introduce yourself before bombarding her with questions that I'm sure she gets all the time."

Her pale cheeks flushed pink. "I'm sorry. My name is Digit of Zenith, but I go by Dee."

I blinked. "Wait, is your name _actually_ Digit?"

She chuckled. "I get that all the time. Yes, it is; my mom is the Fairy of Technology, and apparently she has no creativity whatsoever when it comes to baby names. Seriously – my little brother's name is Circuit. How stupid is that?" I laughed, and so did Lola.

"Hey, if you're talking about stupid names, I'll give you one. Hi, my name's Melody of Melody." It was the dark-haired girl I'd seen lying on the carpet, a pair of old-school headphones looped around her neck, the wires twisted around her skinny torso in an artistic sort of way that looked incredibly cool. She seemed edgier than the others – the sound of her voice had a sort of sarcastic edge to it, like she knew something we all didn't – but still friendly.

Lola giggled. "Seriously? Was your mom on drugs or something?"

"Nah – legend has it she lost a bet with my dad while she was pregnant. You can just call me Mel."

"Mel it is, then."

"And I'm Aqua, princess of Tides. Well, my parents named me Aquamarine, but Aqua's so much easier to remember _and_ much less pretentious." She was beautiful, with light coffee-colored skin and long wavy dark brown hair that had – what else? – aqua-blue streaks.

I quickly counted us all in my mind. One, two, three, four, five… "Wait a minute… there are six of us, but eight beds."

"Oh no, I've got a single," Lola said, walking over to the closest door leading off into a room. Sure enough, _Princess __Lola __of __Solaria, __single_ was printed on the whiteboard. "As for the other one…" She walked around the circular room, scanning the names, then stopped in front of another door and inhaled sharply.

"What is it?" Mel asked, walking over to see for herself what had Lola so startled. "Oh no. Poor Alyssa."

"What? What's wrong?" I hurried over to check it out myself.

"You're rooming with Princess Taylor of Eraklyon." Lola said the name like it was a contagious disease.

I bit my bottom lip. Despite Dad's efforts to keep me away from the media, I had read about snotty Princess Taylor in almost all the gossip magazines, and how she was notorious for picking fights and getting thrown out of clubs. And now _she_ was going to be my roommate? "Er… there's no way she can be as bad as the magazines make her out to be," I said feebly, trying to stay optimistic.

"You're right," Lola said, slinging an arm around my shoulders. "She's worse." Aqua laughed knowingly.

"But she's not here now, right?" Mel poked her head inside my room to confirm. "Good. Then let's go down to get good seats for Faragonda's welcome back speech." The others all murmured their consent and headed towards the door.

My cell phone felt like it was burning a hole in my pocket. "Um, you guys go on ahead. I promised my dad I'd call him when I got settled."

Lola grabbed my arm. "Weren't you just telling me how you're sick of your dad controlling you all the time? Well then for crying out loud, honey, don't _let_ him! Alyssa, you're at _Alfea_ now. You should enjoy yourself, instead of always worrying about your overprotective dad. Trust me, he'll probably never even know you didn't call."

I wasn't sure about that last part, since Dad always seems to know what I'm up to no matter what, but she did have a valid point. How could I ever expect to taste freedom at Alfea if I kept letting Dad have so much power over my life even from afar?

Impulsively, I grabbed my phone and chucked it in the direction of the door to my room, not bothering to look where it landed. "Good for you, girl!" Lola cheered, linking her arm through mine. "Now let's go." I followed her, a wide smile on my face, feeling like I had just taken the first step towards true independence.

* * *

**Author's Note: Once upon a time, there was an ambitious young girl named Authoress, who wanted to write a Winx Club second-generation story. The characters she invented and the world she created charmed many fanfiction readers, and one story became two, and then three, with a prequel as well. To write all this took time, and she's come a long way in writing talent since she started.**** (Which is another way of saying that the original first book was not so great.) But what's she to do? She can't just take it down, because without the first one, the rest of them don't make much sense.**

**Her solution? Rewrite the first one.**

**Yes, for those of you who follow my other stuff, I'm finally following through on what I've been promising to do for a while - rewriting WCN. I know many of you liked it regardless, but I am my own toughest critic, and I think that the original version kind of sucked. So I've gone back and polished it up a bit, and I'm much more satisfied with it now.**

**My goal is to post a chapter every day or two. I'm very happy with the way this turned out, and I'm excited to share it with all of you!**

**Love,**

**- Authoress**


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

After listening to Ms Faragonda's welcome speech, we all filed into the dining hall for dinner. It was the first time I had really gotten a good look at my soon-to-be classmates, and collectively they were quite striking – every shade of hair color, eye color, clothing style, accent, and power source imaginable. But of course, I was still alone in my unique coloring. I sighed and tugged nervously on a lock of my bright red hair.

"Down here, 'Liss!" Lola called, waving me over from the end of one of the long tables. As I slid into the seat she'd saved me, she added, "Do you mind if I call you 'Liss?"

"Not at all." I bit my tongue to keep from grinning ear to ear; I'd never had anyone give me a nickname before.

"Ooh, pizza," Mel exclaimed, reaching across the table to grab a slice literally the second it materialized in front of us. All up and down the tables, I could see pizzas appearing as if out of thin air. _Very __cool_, I noted, before diving in to get some of my own.

There was silence as we all dug in. _This __is __so __much __better __than __Dad__'__s __cooking,_ I thought privately, but didn't share; after my discussion with Lola, I was trying really hard not to think about him so much.

I was going back for a second slice when Lola elbowed me sharply, causing me to drop the piece in my hand. "Ow! Lola, what'd you do that for?"

"Ice queen alert, twelve o'clock," she muttered, subtly directing my attention to a tall, thin girl with long blond ringlet curls walking down the aisle between two tables like it was a fashion show runway. She was pretty, yes, but there was also a mean sort of edge to her, like she'd say nice things to your face but turn around and stab you in the back just as easily. On either side of her was another, slightly less pretty but equally mean-looking girl – one had short cropped auburn hair that was pinned back with a pair of sparkly yellow sunflower barrettes, and the other had long super-straight glossy black hair and incredibly pale skin.

I studied the blonde again. There was something sort of familiar about her… "Is that Taylor?" I asked.

"Yep," Lola said, biting off another nibble of her pizza. "And those are her two 'best friends' – Sunflower Barrettes is Chloe, and Miss Teen Goth is Nikita."

"Ugh. They look nasty. Remind me to stay as far away from them as possible," I remarked, reaching for the piece of pizza I'd dropped earlier.

"Aw, 'Liss, but weren't you the one who was convinced that 'Taylor can't be as bad as she seems in the magazines'?" Mel laughed, and the others joined in; after a beat, I did too. There was a difference, it seemed, between when someone's laughing _with_ you and when someone's laughing _at_ you.

I took another sip of soda and then realized that that probably wasn't such a good idea. "Um, guys? Does anyone know where the closest bathroom is?"

"Out the door, down the hall, second door on the right," Dee rattled off without even looking up.

"Thanks." I pushed back my chair and started to get up, only to collide with another body, sending us both sprawling to the floor.

"Hey! Watch where you're going, idiot!" a high, sharp voice snapped. I looked up to see a very familiar blonde lying on the floor, her face set in anger.

_Uh-oh__…_

"I'm so sorry," I stuttered, quickly getting to my feet and offering down a hand to her. "Here, let me help you up…"

"Don't touch me," Taylor sniffed, struggling to her feet. "Just who do you think you are anyway?"

"Yeah," Chloe echoed. "Who do you think you are?"

When I get nervous, I start rambling. It's so not an admirable trait. "My name is Alyssa of Sparx, and I think you're my roommate. I really am sorry about all this; this is my first time away from home, and I really want us to get off on a good start so–"

Taylor held up a hand in front of my face, the universal sign for _I __don__'__t __care_. "Just… stop. I really couldn't care less about your little sob story, whatever your name is."

"It's _Alyssa_," I heard Lola say from behind me, with a scrape of wood against the floor as she stood up and came to stand protectively by my side. "A-L-Y-S-S-A. I know you have the brain capacity of a peanut, Taylor, but it's not that hard to remember."

Taylor rolled her eyes, like this was all so juvenile. "Whatever. _Alyssa,_ then." The emphasis she put on my name made it sound like it was something sour she couldn't wait to spit out of her mouth. "Don't bother me again if you know what's good for you. And stay out of my way, or I'll make your life a living hell."

"Big words for you, Taylor," Aqua jibed. "Did you spend all summer with a dictionary, preparing them?"

Nikita looked like steam was about to come out of her ears, but Taylor put a hand on her shoulder. "Don't bother, Nikki," she said in a cold, cutting voice. "They're _so_ not worth it." Then, after giving me a final, derisive stare, she, Chloe, and Nikita slithered off to another spot farther down the line.

"Something tells me I'm not gonna want to go back to my room tonight," I said defeatedly, slumping back down into my seat.

Lola slung her arm around my shoulder and gave me a quick squeeze. "Don't worry your pretty little head about it, 'Liss," she insisted. "You can stay with me for the night."

"Really?" I'd never had a sleepover before (thanks a lot, Dad!).

"Really." She turned back to the group as a whole. "In fact, why don't we all spend the night in my single? I'm sure if we squish, there'll be plenty of room."

"Sounds fun," Dee said, looking truly animated for once, which I was beginning to notice was a rarity for her. "My mom gave me this fabulous hot chocolate recipe. It literally tastes like little chocolate pallets are fizzing on your tongue when you take a sip."

"Ooh, and I can bake my famous cheesecake brownies," I added, mouth watering at the thought. I found the recipe when I was eleven, and I've baked them in secret ever since Dad found out and banned me from making them for reasons unknown. (Seriously how controlling he is… was… is… whatever!)

"And I've got this great pigs in a blanket recipe," Mel said.

"Hold off on the food, or else I won't be able to fit into my dress for the Start-of-School dance next week," Lola laughed. "Unless I can use a spell…"

"Don't even think about it," Aqua joke-threatened, shaking a finger at Lola. "If the rest of us have to starve ourselves to fit into our dresses, then you do too."

"Come on, Aqua, not all of us go surfing or swimming practically every day and are blessed with your skinny little body. Those of us who aren't like you need a little magic every now and then to stay fit."

"You know it's not that hard to go to a gym or go swimming every now and then, Lola."

"Hello? Why would I want to get all hot and sweaty? And swimming totally dries out your hair, and the chlorine turns your skin green and makes it all itchy."

"So? Haven't you ever heard the phrase _you __have __to __suffer __for __beauty_?"

"Yeah, but they mean like bikini waxes and eyebrow tweezing. Not dry hair, sweaty bodies, and itchy green skin. That only looks attractive on aliens. Or mermaids, maybe. But since you spend so much time in the water I guess you could practically be a mermaid with a few more swims."

"Why Lola, I can't believe you. You sound just like Taylor!"

"Hey, it takes a Taylor clone to know a Taylor clone," Lola giggled.

"So not true."

"Yes it is!" Ivy protested, joining in.

"You guys, stop it," I tried, but it was useless. So this is what having real friends is like.

It's nice.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter Three

"Ugh, I think I ate one too many of Alyssa's cheesecake brownies last night," Lola complained, staggering into our first class of the morning, History of Magix with Professor Palladium.

"Now, Lola, if you'd stopped at two like I said you should, you wouldn't be feeling this way," Dee quipped, fingers flying over the keyboard of some kind of technological device or another (that girl had so many gadgets, I'd lost count of them all).

"Yeah, Lo, weren't you the one complaining about having to squeeze into your dress for the dance? And you ate more than anyone last night." Mel's eyes danced with mischief as she slid into an empty desk.

Lola's cheeks turned bright pink, and she squirmed in embarrassment. I giggled, immediately feeling bad for laughing at her discomfort, when she'd been so nice to me right from the start. But after a moment she gave up and laughed along with us, and I breathed a tiny sigh of relief.

"Hello class, take your seats." Palladium spoke with a slight lilting accent of some sort, and his long hair and pointed ears were definitely… _different_, but I liked him instantly. Of all the teachers I'd met so far, he was the one I felt most comfortable with. None of the regal elegance of Faragonda or the prim-and-proper straight-back discipline of Griselda or the goofiness of WizGiz.

Plus, although most of the other girls were trying not to fall asleep in their seats, I was actually excited to learn. Dad stopped sending me to regular school after about second grade, and instead did homeschooling, teaching me whatever _he_ thought I should know. So while my magic studies were top-notch, the rest of my education was sorely lacking. And even though our house was filled to the brim with books, there were absolutely no history books. I was positively jittery with anticipation.

"Alright then. So for the first week or so, we'll be covering Alfea history. Something nice and interesting to ease you into your first semester, before I kill you on the final." That drew a few nervous giggles from the room, most probably trying to curry favor by laughing at his lame jokes. "Now, I understand there are a few very special girls in this year's freshmen class." His eyes scanned over the rows of desks, finally coming to rest on my friends and I. "Ah, you girls make me feel twenty years younger…" He sighed wistfully, looking a little lost in thought.

"Excuse me?" I asked finally.

He came to a halt in front of my desk, eyeing me warily. "Very curious," he said to himself, walking in a circle around me. Instinctively, I drew my shoulders in, as if to protect myself from everyone's eyes suddenly on me; I _hated_ being the center of attention. "You're the spitting image of Bloom, but those eyes…" His gaze was so intense that I started to feel a little uncomfortable.

"Yeah, what's up with your freaky eyes? I've never seen that color on anybody before," Taylor commented nastily. Chloe and Nikita giggled and slapped each other high five behind her. My cheeks burned, although I should've been used to the eye comments by now.

Taylor's comment seemed to snap Palladium out of his trance. "Anyway…" With one final, lingering look at me over his shoulder, he headed back to the front of the classroom, all business again. "In honor of our lovely ladies with a connection to actual Alfea history, today I'm going to take you all on a little field trip." Most of the class perked up at this.

"A field trip? My mom told me that all the field trips here were totally bogus. It's nothing to get excited about." Mel leaned back in her chair.

Palladium smiled knowingly. "Oh trust me, Miss Melody. I think you'll be quite impressed by this. _Retrorsum __converti __tempore __manus!_"

Thanks to Dad's magic-heavy idea of a curriculum, I actually was able to understand what must've sounded like a bunch of mumbo-jumbo to the others; Palladium's spell was in an ancient language, that roughly translated meant "_Turn __back __the __hands __of __time_." I had barely a second to process what that might've meant

before the spell washed over the classroom, revealing exactly what he had intended with those particular words.

"Oh my God!" Ivy exclaimed, as she looked around the classroom. "What _is_ this?"

Most of the other girls reacted similarly, with startled gasps and shocked murmurs. Palladium crossed his arms over his chest and smiled knowingly. "In case you girls didn't know, I also run the virtual reality chamber. I borrowed a little of its power today to take your girls back in time to about twenty years ago, when six extraordinary Alfea graduates were students here." His gaze once again fell upon my friends and I. "You girls _did _know your mothers were famous, right?"

I thought Taylor's eyes would pop out of her head. "Them? Really?"

"_Yes_, really, Miss Taylor," Palladium said sternly, glaring at her until she returned to a passive position. "Bloom, Stella, Flora, Musa, Tecna, and Layla, better known as the Winx Club, saved the entire magical dimension three times while they were students here." Lola's jaw dropped, Dee's eyebrows arched, and Mel just pressed her lips together. But none of us could've been more shocked than I was.

Mom had been some kind of hero? How could I not have known that? No matter how much Dad tried to pretend like she never existed, I found it hard to believe he could've hidden something like that, if it were true.

Or was I absolutely certain Palladium had the right girl? Maybe that was it. I sighed and rubbed my temples, feeling a headache coming on. This was all just too much to take in.

Palladium went on and on about how in their freshman year, they saved Magix from three evil witches called the Trix, who stole the Dragon Fire and tried to take over Magix with the Army of Decay. Sophomore year, they battled the immensely creepy Lord Darkar, ruler of Shadowhaunt in the Underworld, and took on the Trix again. And as juniors, they fought against a powerful dark wizard named Baltor, who was freed from his ice prison in the Omega Dimension by – surprise, surprise – the Trix, and tried to enslave the entire magical dimension.

In every story, Bloom – the redheaded one that Palladium claimed I was the spitting image of – featured prominently, and it made me slightly uncomfortable. Forgetting even my doubts over whether or not this woman actually was my mom, hers would be some pretty big shoes to fill. Imagine having everyone compare me to her, with all her accomplishments; no matter what I did I'd be sure to fall flat. It was enough to give me, who was insecure enough on a good day, the worst kind of inferiority complex.

Still, there was no denying the fact that we did look an awful lot alike…

Finally, a bell chimed, causing the spell to vanish and bringing us back to our seats in the classroom. "Well, that's it for today, girls. There is no homework, unless you would like to write an essay summarizing what we just learned today for extra credit."

There was much chattering about the lesson as the others started filing out of Palladium's classroom. I could hear snippets of "So boring!" and "Why do we even have to learn about this stuff, anyway?" from Taylor, Chloe, and Nikita's conversation, but I shrugged it off as jealousy; I bet if the tables were turned and we were learning about Taylor's mom, she wouldn't be acting half as snotty.

"Hey Alyssa, what class do you have next?" Lola asked.

"Magical Theory with–"

"Alyssa, can you please stay behind for a minute? I'd like a word with you. Don't worry; I'll write you a note for your next class."

My cheeks burned at being singled out. Lola shot me a pityingly look over her shoulder as she too headed out, leaving me alone with Palladium.

I did everything I could to avoid meeting his eyes, sure he'd be eyeballing me with that freaky intense stare. "Er, is there something I did wrong, Professor?" I asked finally.

"No, not at all, Alyssa; I'm sorry if I made you nervous." Palladium stepped closer, and tiny 'alert' bells started to ring in the back of my head. But thankfully, instead of doing anything inappropriate, his eyes just raked over me again from head to toe. It didn't feel the slightest bit lecherous, just curious, and by the time he looked me in the eye again even I was interested. "Can it be true?" he murmured almost to himself, running a lock of my hair through his fingers. I tensed, but didn't do anything. "Who do you live with, dear girl?" he asked in a normal tone of voice.

"Er, my dad."

"No mom in the picture?" He frowned.

I bit my bottom lip. "Uh, no… she's dead."

"Really…" He was silent for another long moment, and I started to get antsy. My left foot felt like it was seconds away from falling asleep, and I tapped it against the floor a few times to shake some feeling back into it. "And where are you from?"

"Um, Sparx." His eyebrows shot up into his hairline, but quickly he rearranged his features into a mask of impersonality. Again, I failed to understand why he had such a reaction to these simple questions. Finally, I decided to ask. "Professor, can I ask what you're thinking about that's prompted all this? Because I feel about a million miles away from wherever you are."

He blinked, as if startled out of a daydream. "I'm so sorry to keep you from your classes. Here, I'll write you that note." He turned around and headed back behind his desk, emerging with a piece of paper. There was a moment's hesitation before he gave it to me. "I'll see you tomorrow in class, then."

As that was obviously a dismissal, I turned to go. Out of curiosity's sake, though, I paused briefly in the doorway and turned back to look at him. He was sitting in his chair staring into space, looking lost in thought. _What __does __he __know __that __I __don__'__t?_ I wondered. _And __will __I __ever __find __out?_

The loud wail of the bell reminded me that I had another six classes to go to before my first day at Alfea was done, and I quickly hurried down the hall.

* * *

**Author's Note: Palladium's spell, for anyone curious, is in Latin, and does roughly translate to "Turn back the hands of time." Fun fact of the day.**


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

"So what was up with Palladium this morning?" I asked, dropping down into the one free armchair left in the common room. Our first day of classes at Alfea was over, and the other girls were all gathered in the common room, doing just about everything _but_ homework.

"What do you mean?" Ivy asked, looking up from the small pot of plants she had sitting on the windowsill. ("They need natural light to grow properly," she'd insisted when Lola had pitched a fit about their placement.)

"Hello? Was I the only one who noticed that he took a sort of creepy-weird interest in me? And what about insisting that my mom was that Bloom girl? Didn't any of that strike you guys as odd?"

"I don't know what your dad's told you, but all that stuff he said is true," Lola said nonchalantly, flipping through a page in her magazine. "My mom is Queen Stella of Solaria, and she did mention having some adventures with her school friends, though I guess they drifted apart after graduation. Isn't that the craziest coincidence that we all ended up together rooming together?"

"Yeah, 'Liss, those are _our_ mothers. Crazy that they were so well-known, but those are the facts. And with how much you look like her, it's not unreasonable for Palladium to assume you were her daughter. I mean, do you even know what your mom lookedlike?" Mel cocked her head to the side, earbuds still in. I huffed in annoyance; she did have a point there, much as I hated to admit it.

"Sounds to me like this is a conversation you need to have with your dad," Aqua said. "I still think it's insane how little you know. What kind of a crazy control freak is this dude? I kinda wanna meet him."

I laughed sharply. "Keep on wishing, Aqua; it's _never_ gonna happen." Suddenly struck with a crazy urge to go get some alone time, I picked up my bag and headed for the door. "I think I'm gonna go to the library, start in on this massive pile of homework."

"Aww, why such a spoilsport?" Lola cried. "Stay here with us; I guarantee you'll have much more fun."

Her smile was so wide and the look in her eyes so expectant that I almost caved. No one had ever looked at me like that, like my acquiesing would give them such happiness. (In fact, it was usually just the opposite.) But at the last second, I answered, "Sorry, I really don't want to start off my first term of real school on a low note. Besides, I'm curious to check out the famous Alfea library."

Dee looked up, interested. "It's amazing," she gushed. "If you finish your homework, make sure to try out the research system. It is _the_ coolest thing ever."

"I'll take that into account, thanks." After an awkward moment spent hovering in the doorway, I finally turned down the hall and started walking.

* * *

Even though it was prime work time, the library was deserted; probably everyone was back in their rooms, gossiping and having fun instead of starting on homework. The silence was stifling, almost as uncomfortable an environment as the common room had been, and after twenty minutes had gone by with me staring at the same sentence in my textbook, I gave up trying to do academic work. Instead, I wandered around, admiring the thousands of books stacked neatly on their shelves, indexed according to subject – so many subjects I could've never imagined existed. I wanted to read them all, soak in every drop of knowledge I had been deprived of.

_But __where __do __I __begin?_ I wondered.

Just then I turned the corner and found myself in a little clearing with a small circular podium. A gold butterfly-shaped stand sat on it, and the podium seemed to hum with magic. _Is __this __the __research __system __Dee __was __referring __to_? _Well, __there__'__s __only __one __way __to __find __out_.

I climbed the podium and placed my hands on the butterfly, stuck when I realized I had no idea what I wanted to research. "Sparx," I said to myself finally, recalling Dee's introductory comment about it's 'fascinating history'. That seemed like a good place to start.

Immediately, though I hadn't even really done anything, books starting flying off the shelves, circling the podium in what almost resembled a hurricane. Feeling overwhelmed, I reached out and grabbed the first one I could reach. Instantly, the others dropped to the ground.

"Guess this fabulous system doesn't include an automatic return-to-shelf feature," I noted wryly, stepping carefully over the fallen tomes to a cozy armchair nearby. Settling down into it, I opened the book and began to read.

_Sparx __is __most __noteworthy __as __the __planet __where __the __legendary __Great __Dragon __made __it__'__s __home __after __creating __the __universe, __bestowing __its __life-giving __flame __on __the __inhabitants __to __use __as __their __own__…_

"Knew that." I tossed that book over my shoulder, reached down and grabbed another one, opening it at random.

_…__Sparx __was __attacked __by __three __ancient, __evil, __and __powerful __witches __known __as __the __Ancestresses. __A __group __called __the __Company __of __Light, __made __up __of __the __best __heroes, __fairies, __and __sorcerers __of __the __magical __dimension, __dedicated __themselves __to __fighting __the __Ancestresses __and __keeping __them __from __their __ultimate __goal __of __total __domination __of __the __magical __dimension. __The __Company __of __Light __was __headed __by __the __then-rulers __of __planet __Sparx, __King __Oritel __and __Queen __Miriam. __In __the __end, __the __Company __of __Light __was __victorious, __although __the __price __paid __for __victory __was __extremely __high__ – __many __perished __in __the __battle, __Sparx __was __turned __into __an __icy __wasteland, __and __Oritel __and __Miriam __were __never __heard __from __again._

"Ooh, this sounds promising." I curled into a more comfortable position and kept reading.

_Oritel __and __Miriam __had __two __daughters__ – __Daphne, __who __would __later __become __the __guardian __nymph __of __Lake __Roccaluce __in __Magix, __and __Bloom, __who __was __no __more __than __an __infant __at __the __time __of __the __attack. __Daphne __died __in __the __attack __on __Sparx, __but __not __before __sealing __the Drag__on __Fire __in __her __little __sister __and __sending __her __to __safety __on __Earth. __There, __Bloom __would __grow __up __like __a __normal __girl, __never __knowing __she __was __a __fairy __until __a __chance __encounter __with __the __then-Princess __Stella __of __Solaria __brought __her __back __into __the __magical __world __where __she __belonged._

"There's that Bloom girl again…" I stared at the accompanying picture, of a pretty redhead in a skimpy blue skirt and top and pixie-ish wings. It was the same girl from Palladium's virtual reality; and she did look a lot like me, no doubt.

But she was the princess of Sparx? _Well, __then __there__'__s __no __way __she __could __be __my __mom_. I snorted a laugh, trying to imagine Dad with a princess; it was about as likely as Lola wearing a burlap sack. So that settled it once and for all then.

_Still,_ I thought, doing some timeframe calculations in my head, _I __wonder __what __happened __to __her?_After all, if I had my math straight, she should've still been alive and ruling Sparx. But the current royal family was all blond. I kept reading.

_After __graduating __from __Alfea, __Princess __Bloom __took __on __the __risky, __dangerous, __and __at __the __time __perceived __futile __task __of __restoring __Sparx __to __its __former __glory. __No __one __aside __from __the __princess __knows __quite __how __she __did __it, __for __even __with __the __power __of __the __Dragon __Fire, __the __Ancestresses__' __curse __on __the __planet __should __have __been __unbreakable. __But __it __proved __possible, __and __Sparx __was __able __to __take __back __its __former __place __in __the __pantheon __of __the __greatest __realms __in __the __dimension._

"So that's what Dee meant." It was interesting, and I couldn't believe I hadn't known about something so fascinating about my own planet. I was really going to give Dad an earful the next time he called.

I was about to turn the page when I heard voices coming from around the corner. Normally, I wouldn't have thought anything of it (I am _so_ not the eavesdropping type), but I could've sworn I heard one of them say my name. Immediately, my interest was peaked, and I let the book slip so it dangled perilously over the ground, barely held on by a single hand's grip, as I strained my ear to hear better.

"You know I would never question your judgment, Headmistress, but Palladium has been telling me distressing things about one of the freshmen. If what he says is true…" It was Ms Barbatea, the frizzy-haired librarian. I remembered her greeting me with a warm smile when I came in, and offers to help me find any books I was looking for. This, though, was a complete one-eighty from her earlier friendly attitude; she sounded so grave and serious, like she was talking about a funeral or something.

"You worry too much, Aileen." The new voice was stern yet gentle, motherly and wise wrapped up into one neat package – undoubtedly Headmistress Faragonda, who I'd yet to truly meet. "Trust me, I would not have let Alyssa into this school if I thought she was a danger to herself or anyone else. Palladium knows not of what he speaks. I cannot say more, but do know that there is absolutely nothing to fear."

"But I've seen the girl with my own two eyes, Faragonda! The resemblence is striking – those eyes! It's as if he's here again! And you of all people would know if the rumors were true; you know how much Bloom trusted you. Please, I beg of you – is she what Palladium believes?"

There was a moment of silence. "I am sorry. But I swore I would not interfere. All I can say is that there is no danger."

My head was spinning. _Me__ – __a __danger? __What __in __the __realms __are __they __talking __about? __And __that __Bloom __girl __again__… __why __does __everything __seem __to __keep __coming __back __to __her?_

As quietly as I could possibly manage, I eased out of my chair and took a few steps forward, keeping myself sheltered behind a bookcase and craning my neck to hear better. "All will be revealed with time, my dear friend. In the meanwhile, please do endeavor to treat Alyssa just as you would any other student. I've already spoken to Palladium about this. What she knows and does not know is not our business to meddle with. She will learn in due time."

Ms Barbatea sighed. "I don't like this, Faragonda. Even when the Winx Club were students here, I never felt I had to worry about dangers coming from inside the school."

"And I don't know how many times I have to tell you this – there is nothing to fear. Alyssa's circumstances are unusual, yes, but–"

The book chose that moment to slip out of my hand, clattering to the floor with a thump. I inhaled sharply and ducked behind the bookshelf, biting my nails in fear of being caught.

"Hello? Is anyone there?" Ms Barbatea's voice called.

"Likely a student. We should not have spoken of this here." There was a slight rustling sound, like the movement of fabric. "If that is all, Aileen, I should be going. There is much I must attend to. And I beg of you, do not bring this up again. All will be revealed with time."

"Very well then."

I held my breath until both older women had left the general vicinity, then sprinted out of the library and didn't stop running until I had reached the door to my suite; chest heaving, heart pounding, and mind racing.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter Five

It was about two weeks into my stay at Alfea before Dad finally called, which in and of itself was a small miracle. I'd never spent that much time without him breathing down my neck, demanding to know where I was every second and who I was going to meet every time I left the house.

And, of course, it only took two minutes before I began to pray desperately for something – anything! – to happen so I would have a decent excuse to get off the phone.

"How are your classes? Did the other girls have much prior knowledge of magic?"

"A bit. I probably know more, though." I twisted a lock of hair around my finger and leaned back against the bed, biting my lip to keep from screaming. There was so much I wanted to ask him, and yet I had a feeling that if I broached any of the subjects on my mind, I would just end up getting a lecture about respecting your parents (gag me).

"Who are your roommates?" Like he really cared? I'd never seen him show an interest in my friends back home (of course, there I didn't really have any…).

Noticing the golden opportunity he had just provided me, though, I pounced. "It's a really great group of girls, from all over the dimension. They're all so friendly, and it's so interesting to talk to girls from other realms. There's this girl named Lola – she's the princess of Solaria! Can you believe it? Me, rooming with a princess?"

If I had expected something to happen at the mention of Lola's name and home planet – any kind of reaction out of him at all – I was sorely disappointed. "That's nice, dear." As always, he sounded vaguely distracted, like someone pretending to care for propriety's sake. I swear, sometimes I wondered why he didn't just drop me off at an orphanage after Mom died; it was obvious he didn't really want to be a parent.

Finally, I decided to just bite the bullet and ask him what was on my mind. "Did Mom go to Alfea?"

"I beg your pardon?" He sounded startled; I'd actually managed to get a reaction out of him. Triumphantly, I continued.

"What was she like? What did she look like? There are no pictures of her _anywhere_; it's ridiculous! I'm almost fifteen years old and I barely know that I _had_ a mother. I don't care how sad you are over losing her, it doesn't mean you get to pretend she didn't exist."

"Alyssa, I don't know what's gotten into you. You've never acted like this before." That brief moment of real shock out of him was gone, replaced by his usual cool demeanor tinged with a bit of annoyance.

"Well maybe it's because I've always been too scared of you to say what's really on my mind." I was surprised at my own nerve; if I had had time to think about this stuff, there was no way I'd have ever said anything like that to him. It felt good, though, to speak without considering my words so carefully I almost didn't want to say anything by the time I was done thinking.

I could sense the intensity of his anger even through the phone, and was thankful for the fact that I was millions of miles away from him. When he finally spoke, though, his tone was cool and collected. "I will tell you about your mother someday, Alyssa, but that day is not today. I'm happy to hear you're having a good time at Alfea. I'll call you again later. Goodbye."

The dial tone sounded in my ear before I even had a chance to open my mouth again.

_Well __that __went __well__…_

* * *

Later that day, I found myself back in the library, my feet having taken me there without my even realizing it until I was standing at the podium again. "Sparx," I said loudly and clearly, watching the books fly off the shelf. There were several, but none seemed to be the exact one I was looking for – the one I had been reading when I overheard Ms Barbatea's conversation with Ms Faragonda.

"The Company of Light," I tried, hoping a more specific word would bring up the book I sought. Three books flew off their shelves, but none of them were the one I wanted.

Although I hesitated at the thought of talking to Ms Barbatea after listening to that strange conversation, finally my curiosity won out. "Excuse me, Ms Barbatea? I'm looking for a specific book, about my home realm Sparx? It's red with gold stitching; I was just reading it last week, and now I can't find it anymore."

She wouldn't look me in the eye as she consulted the catalog. "Let me see… Sparx, red with gold stitching… Oh!" She looked up, startled. "I'm sorry, dear, I'm afraid that book's been recatalogued."

"But why can't I find it anymore? I used the reference system!"

"It's been put into the restricted section. Those books can only be accessed with special permission from the Headmistress. I'm sorry. But there are several other books on Sparx in our collection – surely one of them would suffice for any project?"

"It's not for a project," I said curtly. "Well, thanks for the help."

"Any time, dear," she said congenially, although I caught her giving me a wary look over her shoulder as I walked away.

I slouched down in my favorite armchair and picked up one of the other books on Sparx off the floor, feeling a bit grumpy. As far as I had read, there was nothing in that book that would cause it to be reordered into the restricted section. So why had it been done?

_Yet __another __mystery __about __this __place_, I thought, settling in to read my new book. _I __wonder __if __I__'__ll __ever __get __to __the __bottom __of __all __of __them._


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter Six

"Now girls, who can tell me the definition of an elixir?" All around me, girls were fighting to keep their eyes open; Magic & Science was everyone's least favorite class of the freshmen curriculum, taught by everyone's least favorite teacher Ms Griselda. "Anyone?"

"Better question: who can tell me when we're ever going to need to know this stuff?" Mel whispered in my ear from my left side. I snorted a laugh, quickly clasping my hand over my mouth to keep from drawing Griselda's attention.

Too late. "Perhaps you, Miss Alyssa, since you clearly seem to be _bursting _at the seams to say something?" She paused in front of my desk, staring down at me over the tops of her glasses with arched eyebrows and her trademark stern look.

I swallowed hard and stared down at my desk. "No, Ms Griselda."

"Hmph." She turned her back on me and headed towards the front of the class. "Anyone else?" In front of me, Dee waved her hand anxiously. Only after scanning the rows of bored, sleepy faces did Ms Griselda sigh and turn to her. "Miss Digit?"

"Elixir is one of the many names used when talking about potions, although typically when you use the term 'elixir', the drink in question's intended goal has a pleasant connotation. An elixir might claim to provide love, luck, happiness, or wealth, among other things, to its user. Most of the time, though, these feelings or states are merely temporary, as those are qualities which cannot truly be harnessed through the use of magic." Dee rattled off the information like she'd memorized the textbook – which, I considered, it wasn't so far off to think she might've (her memory was not to be believed).

"Thank you, dear," Ms Griselda said, cutting her off before she started reciting the entire chapter word for word. "Now, has anyone in this room ever seen, heard of, or used an elixir before?"

"Excuse me – Ms Griselda?" A dancer-lithe older girl with short dark hair stood in the doorway, a slip of green paper in her hands. "From Ms Faragonda," she said by way of explanation, handing the paper to Griselda.

She looked at it and frowned. "Thank you, Cyndra. You may go." The older girl nodded and ducked her head as she left. "Alyssa? The headmistress would like to speak with you."

My cheeks flushed at being singled out. From the back of the room, I heard Taylor snigger, "Someone's in _trouble_…" As much as I would've loved to toss a fireball at her, I restrained myself – just barely – and headed up to the front.

"Don't forget to do tonight's reading assignment," Griselda reminded me on the way out.

I nodded, silently wondering which was better – boring class, or whatever I was about to talk to the headmistress about.

_Only __one __way __to __find __out, __I __guess_.

* * *

"Come in, Alyssa," Miss Faragonda said as I knocked on the door. She was sitting at her desk, thumbing through some papers, but looked up cheerfully at me when I came in. I realized that this was the first time I had ever really seen her up close – aside from that weird conversation I'd overheard in the library a few weeks ago.

_No. __Don__'__t __think __about __that __now,_ I berated myself.

Still, my curiosity got the better of me. "Um, if you don't mind me asking, why am I here? Did I do something wrong? Am I in trouble?" A thought occurred to me. "Is this about Taylor? Because if she told you something about me, please let me explain."

"Alyssa, you're not in trouble, so calm down. Take a seat. Would you like a chocolate?" She held out a mostly full box of candy to me. The sweet chocolate smell was mouthwatering (and made me realize just how long it had been since breakfast…), but I shook my head.

She shrugged and plucked one herself, popping it delicately into her mouth before sitting back down. "I'm sorry to worry you, my dear. Truly, I am. It was never my intention to let this go for so long, and I finally just decided that I had to speak with you today. Unfortunately, my schedule was so that the only way I could do that was by pulling you out of class." She grinned at me conspiratorily. "Although I don't suppose you're too upset about that part, are you?" I giggled nervously.

"…Speak with me about what?" I asked finally.

Ms Faragonda hesitated. "I'm not unaware of your rather… unusual circumstances," she started.

"You mean like the fact that my dad basically pretends my mom never existed?" I said bluntly.

Her lips twitched. "Yes, like that. I'm sure it must be frustrating, especially with your roommates being who they are. You must have many questions… and I believe I can answer them."

I pursed my lips. "With all due respect, Ms Faragonda, why would I talk to you, the headmistress of my school, who I barely know?"

She leaned closer to me. "Because I knew your mother very well, my dear. And particularly because of what happened to her, I feel somewhat responsible for you."

Her mention of Mom was like a shock of cold water. "You… what?"

"Bloom was one of my brightest stars. Even given the unusual circumstances of her own past, she worked harder than any student I've ever seen and eventually became one of the greatest fairies Alfea's ever produced. It's such a shame, what happened to her."

_There __she __is __again__… __Maybe __since __everyone __keeps __telling __me __that __Bloom __is __my __mother, __it __really __is __true?_ "So many people keep trying to tell me that I'm her daughter, but that can't be true, can it? I mean, wouldn't that make me a princess then?"

Ms Faragonda looked at me sadly. "By all rights, it should. But there's more to this story that is not what it seems." She sighed, sounding a little teary. "I'm sorry, you just look so much like her."

I swallowed hard. "Do you know how she died?" I asked in a tiny voice.

"Died?" Ms Faragonda inhaled sharply. "My dear girl, you are terribly mistaken. Your mother is not dead."

"…_What?_" My mind felt paralyzed in shock.

"I suspect your father told you that because it was easier to explain it thusly, than try to explain the truth. Perhaps it was his own way of grieving." She turned to me. "Your mother is very much alive. Trapped somewhere, where no means of magic can locate her, but alive."

I eyed her skeptically. "Why should I believe you this? How do you know that she's trapped versus dead, if magic can't locate her?"

"I know this all must come as a great shock to you, Alyssa, but I urge you to believe me. Your father had his reasons for lying to you, but it's high time you knew the truth – _all_ of it." She hesitated, then pulled out a book from under her desk – a very familiar book, red with gold stitching.

"That book from the library!" I exclaimed without thinking. "I was reading it a couple weeks ago, but then it was moved to the restricted section." I clasped my hand over my mouth to keep from blurting out anything else, since obviously there was some kind of weird disconnect between my brain and my mouth right now.

Ms Faragonda opened it to a certain point and handed it to me. "I think the book does a better job of explaining this than I could ever hope to. Here."

Confused, I stared down at the page.

_Baltor __was __created __by __the __three __Ancestresses __from __an __ember __of __the __Dragon __Fire __that __was __mixed __with __dark __magic. __They __used __him __to __lead __many __of __their __largest __attacks __on __Sparx, __including __the __final __attack __on __the __palace. __It __was __him __who __faced __King __Oritel __and __Queen __Miriam __in __their __final __battle, __and __who __ultimately __sealed __their __fate, __trapping __them __in __the __Obsidian __Dimension, __where __they __would __never __return. __After __the __destruction __of __Sparx, __he __was __frozen __in __the __Omega __Dimension, __sentenced __to __eternity __for __his __crimes._

_ Seventeen years after this tragic event, however, he escaped through the gate to Tides, with the help of the Trix, descendants of the Ancestresses and evil in their own rights. Together, they wreaked havoc on the magical dimension, conquering realms and stealing spells and priceless magical artifacts. It was only through the collective efforts of six Alfea students known as the Winx Club – including Sparx's very own long-lost Princess Bloom – that he was defeated and sealed away in Obsidian along with his creators._

"Um, Ms Faragonda? As interesting as all of this is, what does any of it have to do with me?"

"Just keep reading, Alyssa. It'll make sense soon."

Shrugging, I turned the page. The next page was a full-color picture of this mysterious Baltor, and as soon as I saw it, my eyes widened and my jaw dropped.

He had long reddish-blond hair and a handsome face, with high cheekbones and a sharply defined jaw. His clothes looked like something out of a time machine – almost Victorian-era in nature, with a long, high-collared burgundy jacket that gave him an air of dignity and superiority. But it was his eyes that made my blood run cold.

They were the same eyes I saw every time I looked in a mirror.


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter Seven

"This… is my father."

Ms Faragonda only nodded.

All that information from the previous page rattled in my brain, sentences slamming against each other like bumper cars. _Created __from __a __dark __ember __of __the __Dragon __Fire__… __trapped __King __Oritel __and __Queen __Miriam __in __Obsidian __Dimension__… __escaped __Omega __Dimension __and __wreaked __havoc __on __the __magical __universe__…_

"This… has to be a mistake." I closed the book with a loud _slam_ and set it down firmly on the desk. "Sure, my dad has his quirks, and yes he's hard to deal with at times, but there's no way he could be a criminal of Omega Dimension standards. Why is he walking around Sparx undisturbed, then? If all this were true, shouldn't he be in Obsidian or wherever this book says he is?"

"I know this must come as a great shock to you all at once like this. Heaven knows if it had been my choice, I wouldn't have sheltered you the way he did." Ms Faragonda clucked her tongue.

"If all of this is true, then how do I even exist?" I wondered out loud. "You expect me to believe that my mom – who's apparently not dead, like I've been told all my life – was some kind of hero, and my dad is a convict, and yet somehow they made me?" I snorted a laugh. "Nice try, Ms F, but I think you need to work on your pranking skills."

"Bloom trusted me as if I were her mother, and even I was only privy to very few details. So I don't pretend to understand your parents' relationship, but this is not a practical joke of any sort, Alyssa. However it happened that they fell in love, it ended with you."

My head was spinning with all this new information, even as I fought against myself to believe it. "Why didn't Dad tell me any of this himself?" A thought occurred to me. "Does he know that you're telling me?"

She hesitated. "Your father and I don't exactly get along very well, but when I accepted you into Alfea, we did discuss this, and agreed that it might be easier for me to tell you. As for the why… I can only guess that he was simply scared of how you would react. It's not an easy thing he did, raising you by himself after Bloom disappeared."

Unexpectedly, a pang of guilt hit me square in the stomach at the thought of all those times I'd whined about Dad's rules or paranoia or general overprotectiveness. In light of everything I'd just learned, it was a lot harder to hate him for that. "If they broke so many rules to be together, then why does he basically pretend she never existed?"

"_That_ is a question you will have to ask your father." She smiled grimly. "Good luck with that."

"Thanks…" I muttered under my breath. "So… what about my powers? I mean, if Dad is… what the book says, then does that mean I have dark magic?" I shuddered at the thought.

"That's the slightly troubling thing. The best answer I can give you right now is I don't know. In any other situation where a child is born to a couple of mixed allegiances, it's usually easy to determine this. But considering both your parents draw power from the Dragon Fire, there was never any question that you would as well. Therefore, it's hard to tell how much of it comes from your mom's side and how much comes from your dad. Since you've been at Alfea, the teachers monitoring your practical classes haven't noticed anything unusual about the spells you've cast, so we're fairly certain you take more after Bloom. But there is no denying that second part to your powers, which could make itself known at any time." Noticing my look of terror, she added, "Don't worry about this for now, my dear. If and when that day comes, we'll make sure you're adequately trained in how to control it. For now, just focus on your regular classes."

I sighed. In just the span of about ten minutes, my entire world had been turned upside-down; it was a miracle I was still breathing and talking normally. "Well, thank you for telling me all of this, I guess," I said, getting up and walking towards the door.

"Alyssa? One more thing." I paused with my hand on the doorknob, turning back to Ms Faragonda. "I'm fairly certain I don't need to tell you this, but please do keep this information to yourself. The last thing either of us wants is for concerned parents to yank their daughters out of school because they don't want them going to school with Baltor's daughter."

"Believe me," I said, "I want this getting out even less than you do. You've got nothing to worry about there."

"Good. That's all."

Instead of going back to class like a good girl, I walked straight back to the dorm. Since everyone else was in classes, the place was deserted. I debated calling Dad – I definitely had an earful for him – but then decided I lacked the energy to deal with that right now. Instead, I curled up on my bed, almost feeling like I should cry for some reason. But nothing happened. I just sat there, alone with my thoughts, until the others eventually filed back in for the mid-morning break.

_This __was __definitely __not __what __I __imagined __Alfea __would __be __like__…_


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter Eight

"Are you absolutely sure you don't want to come home with me?" Lola asked for the millionth time, hovering in the doorway with all her bags.

"I'm sure, Lola," I said, trying to keep the little edge of annoyance out of my voice (because she seriously had been asking me five times a day for the last week, and every time my answer was the same). "I'd just feel awkward, intruding on someone else's family like that. No, I'll have a perfectly nice time here at Alfea."

She frowned slightly, thankfully not pushing the issue further of why I didn't want to go home to Sparx for break. "Well, alright then. But call me if you get too bored, and I'll pop right over and take you shopping."

"Is that a promise?" I giggled, trying to relieve the tension.

Thankfully, she caught it and laughed. "Don't push it." She wagged her finger at me, then paused and raced over to give me another hug. "I mean it, though – call me if you get bored or lonely or anything. You know I'm always here for you, 'Liss."

I inhaled the sugar-sweet scent of her perfume and sighed. "I know, Lola. And I'm there for you too. But I think right now, you have to go 'be there' for your family. Doesn't the last portal to Solaria leave at one o'clock?"

She lifted her wrist to check her watch behind my back and then yelped. "Yikes! Okay, guess I gotta run. See you in two weeks, 'Liss!"

As soon as she was out of earshot, I sighed and flopped back down onto the common room couch. She had been the last one left who hadn't gone home yet, so now I was completely on my own. (Well, not entirely – there were a handful of other students and faculty members staying on campus for break – but you know.)

Lola wasn't the only one of my friends who had offered to take me home with them (even though she was certainly the most persistent), but for reasons of my own, I'd demurred. As wonderful as I'm sure it would've been to visit any of their realms, meeting their parents would undoubtedly spark a whole host of questions that thankfully had not come up again since the start of the semester, questions I felt even more awkward trying to answer with what I now knew.

Home, of course, was not an option. I still hadn't had the nerve to confront Dad about the fact that he'd lied to me all my life, but I knew without a doubt that I wanted to do it on my own terms, when I was one hundred percent ready. Spending two weeks in close quarters with him (our house was teeny-tiny) while trying _not_ to say anything seemed like a recipe for disaster. Not to mention, if I went home I'd have nothing to do but sit around and try not to claw my own eyes out from boredom; at least at Alfea, there'd be a few other girls, and Magix was just across the lake if I got really desperate. Dad hadn't even seemed to care when I'd told him I'd elected to stay at Alfea over the break (as I knew he would), which made me feel better about leaving him alone.

I lazed around for a couple hours, reading a book and watching some recorded episodes of this silly reality show we loved to make fun of. Finally, around three, I decided I needed to get some fresh air, and caught a magi-bus into Magix.

The bus dropped me off at the station, and as always, I marveled at the impossible-seeming architecture. Sparx was beautiful, but after fourteen years of being forced to stay on-planet, I'd sort of become immune to its beauty; and conversely, that much more wowed by every new thing I saw or experienced in Magix. Mel liked to compare me to a five-year-old sometimes, with how I'd get so excited over the tiniest things that were unfamiliar to me. _But really,_ I thought to myself, _I'm just acting the same way anyone would in such a new environment. It's not _my_ fault that I had to wait until I was this old to get to experience new things._

I'd been into Magix with the girls a few times, but never on my own, so I took advantage of being able to wander around and gawk a bit without drawing giggles and teasing questions. Eventually, the rumbling in my stomach was too loud to ignore, so I followed the delicious smells of baking bread and melting chocolate to a cute little bookstore-café across the street. So caught up in finding the source of that incredible scent, I didn't even notice that I'd collided with another person until I was tripping over my own two feet, landing sprawled at their feet.

"Oh, I'm so sorry. Here, let me help you up." A tanned and callused hand was extended down to me. Blushing furiously, I looked up to say sorry myself, but then found myself tongue-tied for another reason.

The recipient of my embarassing clumsiness was, without a doubt, one of the cutest guys I had ever seen. He was tall (taller than petite little me) but not too tall, with short messy sandy-blond hair, a nice amount of muscle tone, and these absolutely gorgeous blue eyes. Looking at him, I felt like melting into a puddle.

"Are you alright?" I was jolted from my fantasies by the sound of his voice.

"Oh yes, I'm fine." Quickly, I grabbed his hand and pulled myself up – perhaps a little too forcefully, because the momentum sent me flinging myself at his chest. I squeezed my eyes shut in embarassment, wondering if there was _anything_ else I could do to make myself look like more of a fool in front of this insanely hot guy. "I'm _so_ sorry. This was all my fault."

To my surprise, he didn't seem upset about me being basically pressed up against him. "Don't be," he said, setting me back on my feet but in a way that kept us still quite close together. "The blame is as much mine as it is yours. So what's your name?"

"Alyssa."

"Beautiful name for a beautiful girl." I blushed; I had no idea how he could still call me beautiful now, when I was sure my face was as red as my hair. "Nice to meet you Alyssa. I'm Ryan." He held out his hand for me to shake and I took it carefully.

This was _definitely _unfamiliar territory. Normally, if I liked a guy and by some miracle he happened to take an interest in me as well, he always got scared off within about forty-eight hours. I'd always chalked it up to Dad being intimidating (it was unreal, how he seemed to know everything about my life that I didn't tell him), although it wasn't until recently that I'd realized the full scope; they must've known who he was, even if I didn't.

Dad wasn't here to screw things up for me, though, which almost made it harder. Before, it almost didn't matter what I did, because things were bound to go nowhere anyways. Now, it was all entirely my fault if he decided I was a freak and didn't want to talk to me.

Talk about new experiences!

"Do you go to Red Fountain?" I asked him finally, trying to make conversation.

"Sure do. And since you aren't wearing more eye makeup than my sister, I'm assuming you're an Alfea fairy." I nodded. "So where are you from then, that's so awful you'd rather stay at school over winter break than go home?"

I hesitated. "I'm from Sparx," I said. "And it's wonderful, but my parents – or should I say, my dad – is not so wonderful."

He laughed, running a hand through his hair so it was messed up further but somehow managing to look even cuter. "I know the feeling. Sometimes I wonder why my parents are even still married. I'm pretty sure the only reason they're still together is because my dad doesn't want the scandal of a royal divorce." He made a face. "And now I just tipped you off that I'm a prince… sorry. I really don't like flaunting my royal status, unlike _some_ people."

"Your sister?" I ventured, remembering from his Alfea comment that he had one.

"I knew you were a smart one." He cracked a grin, and I felt all warm and tingly inside. "Eh, she's not all that bad once you get to know her, but she puts up a real bitchy front. And heaven forbid you get on her bad side." He shuddered, and I laughed. I couldn't believe he was actually still talking to me, but I wasn't about to look a gift horse in the mouth. He was just so nice and funny and sooo _cute_…

"Where are _you_ avoiding going home to, Mr. All-Mighty Prince?" I teased.

"Sadly for me, my presence is required; I just stayed late at school to make up a test. In fact," he checked his watch, "I should probably get going now – my portal leaves in about five minutes." I tried hard not to frown; I wanted to keep talking to him. "But before I go, I think I should get your number. Just in case my parents are making me absolutely, about-to-kill-myself crazy, as they are wont to do."

I smiled (flirtaciously, I hoped) and rattled it off. "Only because I couldn't stand the thought of you committing suicide. We children of crazy parents have to stick together, after all."

"Well now that I have you to talk me down, I won't." He winked. "It was very nice meeting you, Alyssa. I'm really sorry I have to run off like this. I'll text you later, I promise."

"I'll hold you to that promise, Your Highness," I laughed.

As he broke into a sprint in the direction of the portal station, I watched him go, smiling to myself.

_See? Definite advantages to sticking around Magix._


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter Nine

"Okay, 'Liss, what's up? Why'd you call us all together all serious-like?" Lola crossed one impossibly skinny leg over the other and looked up at me with eyes wide. "Come on, spill already."

I hesitated, leaning forward against the back of the couch. "I… don't exactly know how to say this," I started.

It was about three weeks into the new semester, and I just couldn't take it anymore. The guilt of not telling my friends the truth about my dad was eating me alive. Even though Ms Faragonda had told me not to tell anyone, I was sure she'd agree that my friends were a worthy exception. They _deserved_ to know, after all they'd put up with from me.

Yet now that I was actually here, I was having second thoughts like crazy. They'd grown up hearing the stories, after all – they knew my dad already, as a ruthless, power-crazed psycho. What if they turned on me after finding out I was his daughter? Or worse – what if they got scared of me and started treating me differently, like they were afraid I'd lose my cool and explode?

_If they're really your friends, they'll support you,_ I told myself over and over again, trying to make myself believe it.

"You're starting to scare me here, Alyssa," Aqua said. "Whatever it is, there's no way it can be _that_ bad."

"We're your friends, sweetie," Ivy chirped. "No matter what, we'll listen to whatever you have to say."

_Here goes nothing_. "So… um… I found out some more about my parents."

"That's wonderful!" Mel exclaimed. "I don't understand why you're acting so weird about it then."

I bit my lip. "Well… you guys were right about my mom. And… remember that guy we learned about on the first day of Palladium's class – the escaped convict from the Omega Dimension?"

"Baltor?" Dee looked up from her laptop. "Yes, what about him?"

_Do or die time. _ "He's… kind of my dad."

Silence.

I continued, rambling to fill the silence. "Ms Faragonda told me a while ago, but she promised me to secrecy because, well, you know. But then I just couldn't stand keeping such a huge thing from you guys, so I finally just decided to tell you, because the five of you are the closest thing I've ever had to a real family, and I just…" I exhaled. "Say something. Please. I can't take this anymore. Yell, scream, run away from me if you want, just… don't sit there like statues."

Unsurprisingly, Lola was the first one to say something – and her response just about knocked me off my feet. "Well it's about time you said something, 'Liss."

"I… _what_?" It felt like the world had dropped out from underneath my feet. I gaped at her. "Did you _know_?"

"I had my suspicions – those eyes are a dead giveaway, you know." She smiled conspiratorily. "Then I went home and talked to my mom, and she confirmed it for me."

"And you're not… scared of me?"

She laughed. "Puh-lease! Like it even matters? We like you for you, not for who your parents are like _some_ people in this school. Right girls?"

"Right," echoed Mel, recovering from the shock.

"I can't deny it's a little weird, but then again, so is so much of life around here," Dee quipped in her usual straightforward way. "I'm much more interested in what this means about your magic. Dark and light Dragon Fire contained in the same body? What a research project! Do you think I could get some blood samples to study?"

I couldn't help but laugh. "Sure, Dee. Whatever you want."

"It does explain a lot – like why you were so sheltered and socially awkward at first," Aqua said thoughtfully. Her pretty face broke into a mischievous smile. "Aw man, now I _really _want to meet him."

"Well, perhaps you will some day," I ventured. "Now that you guys know, I'd love to have you all stay with me on Sparx over the summer or something. Although I'm not sure we'd all fit in the house…"

"Sounds like a blast." Lola got to her feet and slung one arm around my shoulders. "I feel bad that this was troubling you for so long, 'Liss. You should know that you can always tell us anything."

"That goes for everyone," Mel put in. "We've got something special here, the six of us. No more secrets."

"Agreed." I didn't fight the wide smile that spread across my face from ear to ear. _This went better than I could've ever dreamed._

"Ah, group hug!" Lola exclaimed, pulling me against her in a tight hug. Ivy and Aqua joined in, then Dee and Mel. A warm feeling spread out from my chest through the rest of my body.

"I love you guys," I said as we all disentangled, feeling oddly sentimental.

"We love you too, 'Liss." Lola gave me a sisterly kiss on the cheek, leaving behind a glossy pink lip print. "Okay, sorry to bail on this bonding party, but I have to go talk to Griselda about last week's test. My parents are _seriously_ pissed about my grades from last semester."

Mel laughed. "You might want to try actually studying sometime, Lo." Lola made a face. "I've gotta bounce too. Dance class."

Ivy, Aqua, and Dee each also made excuses to leave (the latter asking again if she could get a blood sample from me sometime soon), until I was the only one left in the common room. Feeling like my bones had been replaced with helium balloons, I practically floated back to my room, like walking on air.

_I can't believe it was that… _easy_. It almost feels too good to be true._

As I reached for the door handle, I got the first inklings that there might be something wrong here. The door was slightly ajar, and I could've sworn I saw a flash of blond curls moving through the tiny open space. But by the time I got the door open all the way, there was nothing there – except for a strong scent of flowery perfume hovering in the doorway.

Very familiar flowery perfume, that belonged to the last person I would've ever wanted to hear our conversation.


	10. Chapter 10

Chapter Ten

"So tell me again how you met Mr. Hot-and-modest-but-who-cares-because-he's-so-hot?"

I giggled. "How many times do I have to tell the same story, Lo? I was going to a café, I tripped over him, we started talking, and that's that. Now which one do you like more?" I held two different tops against my torso for her approval.

She studied them, then made a face. "Ugh, neither. Your wardrobe _seriously_ needs some work. Come on, let's see if we can't find you something in mine…" She got up and started walking towards her room; I tossed the shirts onto my bed and followed a second later.

By the time I got there, half her wardrobe was already piled on her floor. "No, no, no, no, no… aha! Perfect!" She tossed me a flimsy-looking turquoise shirt, which I held against my body dubiously. Noticing my look of doubt, she said, "Just try it on. I promise you, it'll be perfect." Shrugging, I stripped off the purple tank top I had on and started pulling on her shirt.

"Where's he taking you again?" I heard her ask as I crossed the room to study myself in the mirror. Unsurprisingly, she was right – this did look pretty, although I felt awkward wearing what was surely an expensive shirt.

"I don't know. Are you sure it's alright for me to borrow this?" I pinched the silky material between my fingers. "What if I spill something on it? I should just wear my own clothes."

"You are wearing it and that is final." Lola grabbed my hand and dragged me over to her vanity, plopping me down on the chair and standing behind me with brush in hand. "Now let's see if I can do something about this hair…"

I sighed and let her work, knowing there was no stopping her when she got off on a tangent like this. My thoughts floated back to – what else? – Ryan, and unbidden, a silly grin spread across my face.

"Oh great, you're thinking about lover boy again," Lola sighed in mock-annoyance. "Keep your face still, or I can't do your makeup." She tapped my nose with a blush brush, and I squealed at the tickling sensation.

"Alright, alright! Enough! You're dangerous with those things." Lola winked, then went back to work.

This was a major deal – my first real date. Ryan and I had been exchanging flirty texts for weeks, but his schedule was so crazy with the start of the new semester that I hadn't seen him since the day we met over break. So of course, I was more than a little nervous.

It almost felt like a dream sometimes, that this amazing guy was actually interested in me. But if this was a dream, I didn't want to wake up anytime soon.

"Am I good or am I good?" Lola's proud voice jolted me out of my thoughts. "What do you think, 'Liss?"

I almost didn't recognize the girl staring back at me in the mirror. My normally wild hair was tamed into sleek curls, my skin practically glowed, and my lips looked pink and kissable. (The thought made me blush.) The turquoise color of the shirt was a startling contrast against the bright red of my hair, and the tie at the waist made me look almost as skinny as Lola.

Looking like this, I could almost believe that this wasn't a dream – that I belonged with a guy like Ryan.

"I think you're incredible, Lo." I stood up and wrapped my arms around her in a tight hug. "And I don't know what I would do without you."

"Aww… No! No getting sappy on me! You are _not_ crying and ruining my handiwork." At that, I couldn't help but laugh.

My phone buzzed in my pocket. "Oh my God, he's here!"

"Go get him, girl. Wait!" I turned around midway between the door to get a face full of perfume as she sprayed something from a little glass bottle.

Coughing and waving the cloud away from my face so none got in my eyes, I asked, "What was that for?"

"Every girl needs a signature scent. I've just guaranteed he won't be able to leave your side all night." She cocked her head to the side and smiled. "You can thank me later."

I bit back a laugh. "Okay then. Well now I really have to go."

"Good luck!" she called as I raced out the door. "I want a full report in the morning!"

* * *

"Alyssa." Ryan was waiting for me in the courtyard as I bounded down the stairs leading up to the main building. "Wow, you look… amazing."

"You're not so bad yourself," I countered flirtily, giving him a once-over. Thankfully, he'd changed out of the ridiculous Red Fountain blue jumpsuit (seriously, who designed those things?) and was wearing jeans and a blue T-shirt that managed to hug his abs without being obscene. "So where are you taking me?"

"I thought we'd just go wander around downtown Magix, get a bite, and then just… see." He shoved his hands into his pockets, shifting his weight from side to side awkwardly, and I realized that he was nervous too. The thought put me at ease.

"Sounds perfect." Without overthinking it, I looped my arm through his and started towards the gate.

He broke into a smile, and slid one arm around my shoulders, giving me a quick squeeze. "You are most definitely one of a kind, Alyssa."

"Is that a good thing?"

"Oh yeah."

As the gate opened, I looked over my shoulder, half expecting to see Lola spying on us, her nose pressed against the window. Instead, I saw another blond girl, watching me with eyes narrowed and a seriously pissed off expression on her face.

_Taylor_.

Things hadn't improved between the two of us one iota from the very first day of school, and they'd only gotten more awkward since I maybe caught her listening to that conversation about my dad. Most of the time I tried to avoid her, spending most of my time in Lola's room, even sleeping there some nights when the anxiety became too much. I didn't know what her deal with me was, but at this point I really didn't care enough to find out. All I wanted to do was get through the year in peace.

She seemed to notice me looking at her, because a heartbeat later the curtains were drawn across the window, fast and furiously.

_What's her problem? _I wondered, then shrugged it off. I was not about to let Taylor be the fly in my ointment on this otherwise perfect day.

"You alright?" Ryan asked, tapping me on the shoulder.

"Yeah," I said, turning back to him. "I'm just fine."

* * *

"Thank you for an amazing night," I said, turning around to face Ryan as we stopped in the middle of the courtyard.

"We should do this again some time," he agreed. "Text me?"

"Of course." There was an moment of awkward silence, before he stepped forward and gave me a quick hug.

"See you around, Alyssa," he said quickly, turning to leave.

I couldn't help but feel disappointed. Tonight had been everything I'd imagined it would be, yes, but… no kiss.

_If you want to kiss him so badly, just do it!_ a little voice in the back of my head said.

And then before I could think twice, I called, "Ryan!"

"Yes?" He turned around to see me racing towards him.

"You forgot something," I said, coming to a stop in front of him.

"What?"

"This." Then before I could lose my nerve, I wrapped my arms around his neck and pressed my lips against his. I saw his eyes widen in surprise for a moment, before his arms slid down to my waist and he pulled me closer, deepening the kiss.

_Mmm… so worth it…_

When we finally pulled back, lungs screaming for air, he stared at me in what looked a bit like awe. "How could I have forgotten that?" he murmured softly, before kissing me once again. I sighed and closed my eyes, reveling in the taste and feel of his lips against my own.

"M-My friends are probably worried about me by now," I said after the third (third!) kiss. "I-I should go." He frowned. "Belive me, I'd rather stay too. But Griselda gets scary when we miss curfew."

"Ah, okay. Codatorta can be pretty intimidating too. Well… I guess this is goodnight for real then." He leaned in and kissed me briefly on the cheek.

"Goodnight, Ryan."

The night air was cold, but I felt warm all over. My skin tingled where his lips had left their mark. _Without a doubt, best night ever_, I decided, practically floating up to my room. _I just hoped that Taylor's not there to rain all over my parade. She is the _last_ person I want to deal with right now._

When I got back to the room, it was empty, but I still felt my happiness deflating as I looked around. Taylor's side of the room was positively pristine, but mine looked like an earthquake had hit it. As I started tidying everything up, I realized in bone-chilling horror that something was definitely missing.

Whoever had ransacked my room had done it for a reason. They had obviously been looking for something. But whoever it was had passed up any number of more valuable or worthy items in favor of something that was even scarier to have lost.

The picture of Mom, Dad, and a baby me that Miss Faragonda had given me… was gone.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

"Um, Ms Faragonda? Has anyone reported anything stolen recently?" It had been a couple days since my picture had gone missing, and I was getting nervous. Whoever had taken it obviously wanted it for something, if they'd gone to all that effort to find it, and I was more than a little scared of what they were going to do with it. There was no way it could be good from me, what with the damage potential that simple little image held.

"Not that I know of," Ms Faragonda said, looking up from her papers. "Why? Did something go missing from your room, Alyssa?"

"Um… yeah," I said, fidgeting nervously. If that picture fell into the wrong hands, it could be dangerous. "A picture of mine was stolen a couple days ago."

"Just a picture? Not anything else? Well, that's nothing. You can replace that easily, can't you?"

"It wasn't just _any_ photo, Ms F. It was that one you gave me of Mom, Dad, and me."

She straightened her glasses and looked away, as if finally understanding the importance of this situation. "Well then, Alyssa, exactly what would you like me to do about this? I certainly can't go ask who has it… that is, without telling everybody who your dad is, which I'm sure you don't want me to do."

I paused. I hadn't really considered that. "Um…"

She laughed. "Didn't think that far ahead, did we?" My cheeks burned as she winked. "I will keep an eye out, my dear, and ask the others to do the same. But my best guess is that you just misplaced it somewhere in your room. Teenage girls aren't the best of housekeepers." Before I could protest, she added, "Here, let me give you another one just in case." She snapped her fingers and a new photo instantly materialized in my hands.

I stared down at my parents' smiling faces, wishing more than anything that I could just believe her when she told me not to worry. But there was a niggling suspicion in the back of my mind, that was getting harder to ignore with every passing day. "I'll see you later, Ms F."

I started heading back to the room, but stopped short in the common room as I heard the high-pitched whine of Taylor's voice. Quickly, after peeking inside to see if she was there (she was – sigh – along with her two little acolytes), I ducked behind the door, not wanting to go in and face them.

_This is ridiculous, that I'm letting her drive me out of my own room. I have as much a right to be in there as she does – and I have to study for Magical Theory._

I'd just about made up my mind to go in there regardless, when I heard a voice say my name. My heart stopped, and I strained to hear better, but the door was too thick.

_Wait a minute… what about that spell Palladium just taught us yesterday?_

Quietly under my breath, I chanted, "_Mirror, mirror on the wall; reflect for me, answer my call._" The air in front of me shimmered, and a vision-like image of my room appeared before me – the mirror image of the scene going on inside, complete with full audio capacity (thank God for Taylor's vanity). With this, I could see and hear everything perfectly, and no one else on the other side would ever know I was there. I held my breath and watched, like some sort of sick reality show.

"I always knew there was something fishy about her," Taylor was saying, pacing back and forth with a piece of paper in her hand. I strained my eyes to try to see what it was, but she was holding it with the relevant side facing her; all I could see through the mirror was the plain white back. "And now that I have proof, there's nothing stopping me from getting that trashy little upstart kicked out of here so fast her head will spin."

"And then you'll have a single, right Tay?" Chloe piped in, clearly not the brightest crayon in the box.

Taylor's eyes flickered in annoyance (most likely at Chloe's stupidity), but she just nodded. "You know what girls? I think this calls for a little celebration." She bent down on the floor and started digging through the bottom drawer ofher dresser. "I know I've got a few bottles of the good stuff stashed in here somewhere; I just gotta find them," she muttered under her breath. The paper carelessly fluttered to the floor as she continued her search, and I wanted to scream when it landed white side up. If I could just see what it was…

(A little voice in the back of my head whispered that I already knew what was on that paper, that all of this waiting and watching was just delaying the inevitable. I told it to shut up.)

Nikita floated over from the other side of the room and picked up the paper. I only caught a quick flash of red and gold before it was turned backside to the mirror again, and I bit my lip to keep from growling. "Wow," she remarked, running her long, impeccably manicured nails over it. "It's just so… incriminating. How in the realms did you find this, Tay? Don't tell me you doctored it or something. If you did… wow. Do you really hate your roomie that much?"

"Of course I do, Nikki." Taylor's voice was sharp, like a knife. "And you know very well why." There was a pause, and then her words took on a lighter tone. "But this is real. And all I had to do was go through her things. I knew I'd find something I could use; I just didn't know exactly how useful it'd be." A cruel little smile spread across her face, as she finally found what she was looking for: a bottle of champagne and three crystal champagne flutes. Effortlessly, without even the slightest regard for the numerous rules she was breaking, she uncorked the bottle and poured some of the bubbling gold liquid into each of the glasses.

"Ooh, yummy," Chloe squealed, lifting the glass to her lips practically the second Taylor put it in her hands.

The blond slapped her hand. "Not yet!" she insisted, handing a flute to Nikita. "First, a toast. To revenge!" she announced, raising her flute in the air.

"To revenge!" Nikita and Chloe echoed, clinking their flutes together and then downing the contents in one long swill.

"Poor, poor Alyssa," Taylor mused, pouring more champagne into her flute, and refilling Chloe's and Nikita's as well. "I almost feel sorry for her. _Almost_."

"_Almost_," Chloe and Nikita agreed, and all three of them collapsed into a fit of semi-drunken giggles.

At that point, I had heard enough, and cut the feed from the mirror. Even still, I could hear them giggling in the other room; laughing at the thought of ruining my life.

Because two things were absolutely clear now

Taylor had taken the picture. And she was going to use it to destroy me.

_Crap…_


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter Twelve

My heart was beating at a speed that surely could not be healthy. Thankfully, I had the presence of mind enough to cast an invisibility spell, although I wasn't sure how long I could keep it up in this condition – the more complex a spell, the greater strength and focus required to sustain it, and this was something we hadn't even officially been taught yet (thank you, Dad!).

I don't know how long I stayed hidden in the doorway, listening to the three of them get drunk and cackle like witches. Eventually, they left, staggering down the halls half-drunk (where I desperately hoped Griselda would catch them), and I sprinted inside and locked the door, dropping down onto my bed half-paralyzed with the complete realization of what had just happened. My breath caught in my throat chokingly, like I was on the verge of tears.

_Stay calm, Alyssa, don't let her do this to you… You're no good to solve this thing if you're freaking out like this… For God's sake, girl, get a grip!_

I buried my face in my hands and closed my eyes, body shaking with the unfairness of it all. _I've never done anything to her except exist,_ I thought miserably. _What is wrong with her? Why does she hate me so much?_ The world felt like it was closing in on me, the walls shrinking and collapsing… Dimly, I realized I was having a panic attack.

Finally, after what felt like an eternity, I was able to sit up straight and take a couple deep breaths. _You can do this,_ I told myself. _She still hasn't done anything with it yet, so there's still time to fix this._

The thought of leaving Alfea sent a fresh, sharp wave of pain through me. There was no way I was going to let Taylor run me off. This place was a part of me now. My resolve freshly strengthened, I leaned back against the headboard and ran my fingers through my hair, trying to think logically.

_Think, Alyssa, think. What can you do?_

Go to Faragonda? Maybe, but what could she really do? Taylor was a princess, and a very skilled liar; without good enough proof, that could bring down the wrath of the Queen of Eraklyon onto Alfea and possibly get Ms Faragonda fired.

Try to steal the picture back? Unlikely. If I knew Taylor, she'd probably guard it like a hawk until she was ready to use it to do whatever.

I sighed, feeling my confidence start to drain. No matter which way I looked at it, there didn't seem to be a solution to this thing.

_Call Dad_, a voice in the back of my head whispered. _He'll know what to do._

I groaned at the thought, because I knew the voice was right. But calling Dad would mean admitting that I knew the truth he'd kept from me all my life, and I wasn't one hundred percent convinced I'd be able to get a word in edgewise to tell him about Taylor once he started screaming at me about that.

_You know that's what you have to do,_ the voice said. _Like it or not, he's smart; he'll be able to fix this._

With an enormous sigh, I opened the top drawer of my nightstand and pulled out the cell phone he'd given me when I left for Alfea. I almost never used it, since I had all my friends at Alfea with me where I could easily pop over to visit them if I wanted some girl talk, and I definitely didn't want to call home and talk to him. Now, though, it was an emergency.

My fingers rotely dialed the number I had been forced to memorize a long time ago. I waited with bated breath for him to pick up, almost wishing he wouldn't so I could delay the inevitable even further. _Stop that, Alyssa. It does absolutely no one good._

"Hello?" I heard him say after a few rings. He sounded tired.

"Dad? It's me."

"Alyssa?" To his credit, he recovered quickly, trying to sound interested. "What a… pleasant surprise! But is something wrong? It's a Saturday afternoon, and you're a teenager in Magix; I'd have thought you'd be out with your friends."

I bit my bottom lip. "I…well, I kind of have a problem, and I need your help."

"What kind of problem?" All of a sudden he sounded alert.

"Um…" There was no way to do this but to just dive in and pray he didn't kill me through the phone. "Well, for starters, I know the truth. About you, about Mom, about my life… everything."

After what felt like an eternity, he sighed heavily and said, "I was beginning to think Faragonda had reneged on our deal." I was stunned into silence by the fact that he wasn't screaming at me, as he continued, "I'll explain later, I promise – you and I are long overdue for a nice long father-daughter chat–" somehow the idea of that did not fill me with glee "but I fail to see how this could be described as a 'problem'."

"Okay, so you see…" All the tension and anxiety of the last half hour or so boiled inside of me until it finally just spilled over. "Ms-Faragonda-gave-me-a-picture-of-the-three-of-us-before-Mom-disappeared-and-my-roommate-Princess-Taylor-of-Eraklyon-stole-it-and-now-she's-going-to-tell-the-whole-school-who-you-are-and-try-to-get-me-kicked-out-of-Alfea-and-Dad-I-just-don't-know-what-to-do!"

Somehow, even though everything came out at hyper speed and even got a bit hysterical by the end as I started crying again, Dad understood me perfectly. "Princess Taylor of Eraklyon, eh?" he muttered under his breath. "I should've known." This was followed by a string of curses I probably shouldn't mention here.

"Um… Dad? Can we discuss your apparent hatred of the Eraklyon royal family later?" I asked, beyond confused but not caring too much at the moment.

"Of course," he said, reverting right back to Overprotective Dad mode. "Just give me five minutes, and I'll hop a portal right over to Magix."

"Are you _crazy_?" I all but screamed. "You're kidding, right? You coming here would be like handing Taylor a stick of dynamite and a lit match. No, you stay put – I'll figure out a way to deal with this myself."

He huffed in annoyance. "I'll pardon you for speaking to me like that this one time, but Alyssa, I am your father. I will not allow you to be a flighty teenager and refuse my help. I'm coming to Magix and that's final."

"No, Dad, I–"

I never got a chance to finish my sentence, as I was thrown violently against the wall by a strong spell. Looking up, I saw a mass of glossy blond curls, blue eyes that danced with mischief, and pouty pink lips curled up into a devious smirk.

_Taylor…_


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

"You are _so _not getting away with this," she hissed, before picking up my discarded cell phone and, in a pitch-perfect imitation of my voice, said, "I… I… I'm sorry. You're right. Hop a portal as soon as you can."

Apparently not waiting for a reply, she switched off the phone, and suddenly she was back to her normal voice. "How long did you think you could keep your dirty little secret, _witch_?"

My mind was racing faster than the speed of light, and yet somehow the first thing that came out of my mouth was: "How did you…" I motioned to my phone in her hands.

"Ever heard of voice-morphing? No, I guess not; your dad kept you so sheltered growing up. And gee, I wonder why – maybe so no one would find out you're the daughter of a _demon_?" She practically spat the last word, and my eyes widened at the pure hatred in her tone.

All this time, I'd dismissed her dislike of me as the usual pretty popular girl scorn. But apparently, it was a miracle she hadn't stabbed me between the shoulder blades while I was asleep.

"What have I ever done to you?" I asked, wincing at the pain in my back that came from being thrown up against the wall like that. "Ever since I got here, you've been nothing but nasty to me, and for no apparent reason. And I've done everything I can to stay out of your way, but I just don't get it. Why do you hate me so much?"

Ignoring my questions, Taylor smirked and leaned against the wall, waving her hands in the air, and suddenly I was locked against the wall in glowing iron chains. "Those chains are re-enforced with fairy dust. You can't break them," she said, watching me struggle to break free. "All the better to keep you here with. I can't have my bargaining chip run away from me, now can I?"

"Bargaining chip?" I asked, confused out of my mind. "What is wrong with you, Taylor?"

In one fluid movement she crossed the length of the room and was instantly standing nose to nose with me. "You try growing up in my household and not coming out at least a little damaged." Her long, impeccably manicured petal-pink fingernails were at my throat, and I was scared to breathe. "And you want to know why that's the case? Because of your miserable excuse for a mom."

"My… mom? What about her?"

"Allow me to explain," Taylor said, her voice dripping ice and venom. "Because of your mom, my dad is a wreck. She broke his heart, and left my mom to pick up the pieces. But he doesn't actually love her. The only reason he even married her was because she got _pregnant_. So our family is more dsyfunctional than the ones on those soap operas everyone here's addicted to." I could hear the briefest hint of sorrow behind her malicious tone as she continued, "My dad barely even looks at me most days, and my mom's too busy trying to run a kingdom that resents her. And Ryan – oh, perfect Ryan the golden child, who can do no wrong in Dad's eyes even though technically _he's_ the reason we're all in this mess, not me. Even my own _brother_ hates me; do you have any idea what that feels like?" Any trace of pity I might've felt for her was gone as she leaned in close to me. The overwhelming scent of her flowery perfume made me want to gag. "And everything is all because of your mom. But since she's disappeared into thin air – good riddance, in my opinion – I'll settle for you."

It took me a moment to process everything she'd just said, and even though there were about a zillion other things I should be focusing on, what stood out in my mind was actually quite trivial in the grand scheme of things. "Ryan's… your brother?"

She nodded. "Oh, how I wanted to _scream_ when I saw you two together. Even if he is a disgrace to the family name, he's still my flesh and blood, and he deserves better than _you_. Don't worry, though; you won't be bothering him for very long."

She started pacing back and forth in front of me, sounding like an evil dictator as she began to speak. "I've known who you were the second you set foot in here. It just took me this long to find proof. You're an _abomination_, an insult to the greatest magic that ever existed. The magic that runs through your veins is cursed, tainted with darkness like your despicable excuse for a father. You shouldn't even exist, and yet you do."

"So what is exactly is your plan, then? Because all I've heard so far is the ramblings of a crazy person." I don't know where I found the nerve to say that, but it was strangely liberating.

My stomach turned at the tone of her voice, and the cruel smile that spread across her face. "Do you really think the rest of the dimension trusts your dad after everything he's done? You can never fully get rid of a bad reputation, no matter how hard you try. Even if he was pardoned by the Magix Council, all it'll take is the slightest hint of backslide for them to find reason to lock him up again, especially without your mom to bat her eyes and tell her sob story to save him. And with enough doubt cast, I'm sure they can rationalize doing the same to his daughter. After all, she did attack the Princess of Eraklyon for no real reason…"

I felt the floor drop out from under me. "You're… insane." How could Miss Faragonda have let Taylor into Alfea? She deserved to be in a mental institution!

She just laughed in my face. "No, _you're_ the insane one, Alyssa – driven to psychosis by the instability of your powers. When I defended myself, it was only in self-defense… and then your dad came in here roaring for revenge, attacking me without cause… Oh yes, this will be a very satisfying end for you two." Her laughter chilled me to the bone.

I rattled the chains uselessly. "You're never going to get away with this," I spat. "Did you forget who you're dealing with? My dad's smarter than to fall for this."

"Oh really?" She arched one eyebrow. "I wouldn't be so confident about that if I were you."

My heart skipped a beat. I opened my mouth to reply, but at that very moment, Dad materialized into the room.

"Dad!" I cried, having never been so happy to see him.

"Shut up," Taylor snapped. A gag appeared around my mouth.

"Alyssa!" He turned to Taylor, eyes blazing with anger. "Get away from my daughter," he spat, hands glowing with blue magic.

"Nuh-uh-uh," Taylor chided, shaking a finger at Dad and flipping a lock of hair over her shoulder. "Not unless you want me to do this."

She snapped her fingers, and that gag slid a few inches downwards toward my throat, tightening until I could barely breathe. I squeezed my eyes shut and took a big gulp of air while I could, letting it hinder in my throat and secretly wondering if it would be my last.

"Better power down," Taylor continued, "or else your precious little Alyssa goes _pop_! Just like a zit."

Unlike Aqua, I could only hold my breath for so long, and was quickly running out of air from my big gulp. I tried to think happy thoughts: shopping in downtown Magix, the peanut butter M&M cookies the dining hall made every other Friday, movie nights with the girls, kissing Ryan…

White spots were starting to dance in front of my eyes when I felt the electricity of the air shift, and opened my eyes to see Dad release his grip on the energy bursts, sending them dissipating into nothing. At that, Taylor smirked and loosened the chokehold, and I let out a sigh of relief. I was safe… at least for now.

"Princess Taylor of Eraklyon, is it? I'd say I'm pleased to make your acquaintance, but we both know that's a lie." Dad's eyes were still burning with rage, and for a moment I saw how people could be afraid of him. Right now, he seemed entirely capable of doing everything the books said he'd done – and more. "I must say, I'm surprised the old bastard's sending his children out to do his dirty work. Bit of a new low, even for him."

Taylor gave Dad a pointed look. "This has nothing to do with my father, although if he could ever stand to look me in the eye I'm sure he'd agree wholeheartedly with everything I'm doing."

"Somehow I doubt it."

She arched an eyebrow. "And you would know my dad so well how? Because you stole his girlfriend and ruined his life – and the lives of two innocent children by default?" Her tone turned dark and forbidding, making her seem much older than her fifteen-some years. "I hated all three of you from the moment I was old enough to understand why my parents slept in separate rooms."

"And here I was ready to give you the benefit of the doubt." He clenched his hands into fists, although they remained magic-less – but I wasn't sure how long that could last. "But you're a full-blown psychopath."

She smirked. "Pot calling the kettle black, anyone? I don't think you get to judge me, _Baltor_." It was the first time I had ever really heard someone say my dad's name aloud, and it sent shivers down my spine.

Dad's eyes narrowed dangerously. "That was years ago."

"What's that they say? 'A crooked tree will never grow straight'?" She laughed, something so cold and sarcastic I wasn't sure it could even be called that. "You can claim you've 'reformed' all you want; you're still the same abhorrent dark creature underneath it all."

I could feel the intensity of his anger, rolling off of him in waves. Not for the first time I cursed my own uselessness, being locked in these chains. As much as my feelings towards Dad wavered from day to day, right now I wanted nothing more than to hug him and reassure him that Taylor was insane and a liar, that none of what she was saying was true. (And then jump on Taylor and kick the crap out of her. Not necessarily in that order.)

It felt like there was something racing underneath my skin. My nerves were on fire like I'd just drunk five shots of espresso, all anxious and jittery. This was horrible, knowing exactly what Taylor had planned and not being able to do a single thing about it but watch.

Her Royal Craziness, of course, was enjoying all of this, watching us squirm. In fact, she seemed to want to prolong it. "Oops," she chirped sarcastically, knocking my gold locket from my nightstand to the floor. Then she brought her foot down hard on the thin, delicate chain links, crushing them to pieces. The clasp snapped in two, the heart-shaped locket cracking as it hit the floor and bounced open, shattering into a million pieces. The look in her eyes when she stared back at me made my blood run cold. "Sorry."

A low sort of sound like a growl came from Dad's throat. I could see the telltale sparks of magic at his fingertips, and my stomach leaped into my chest. _What is she going to do already?_

Suddenly, there was a loud _bang!_ from the direction of the broken necklace, followed by a bright flash of light. Taylor was thrown backwards across the room, and I think she hit her head on something, because she slumped down against the wall, eyes closed like she was unconscious. A thick gray mist covered the room, making it hard to see, and I coughed and blinked, wishing I could fan the air in front of me.

I squinted, unsure whether to trust my own vision, because it was showing me the dark outline of another person where the necklace had broken. But that was impossible, right? "Who are you?" I heard Dad demand, raising a hand with a glowing magic sphere. "Show yourself!"

The mist started to evaporate, revealing a tall, thin woman with red hair and blue eyes. She was oh so familiar, and yet I couldn't put a name to the face… It was on the tip of my tongue…

Dad's eyes widened, and he dropped the magic orb. "…Bloom?"

_Mom?_

"Baltor?" The woman stared at him in disbelief for a moment, before they both started running towards each other at the same time. It was only maybe about seven steps between them, but from the way they moved you'd have thought it was miles. When she was arms-length away, he wrapped his arms around her waist and scooped her up, actually pulling her off the ground and twirling her in a circle, before she buried her face in his shoulder. I saw her tiny shoulders shaking, and realized that she was crying. "Oh my love, I thought I'd never see you again," I heard her say as she looked up at him, cheeks painted with wet trails of tears.

"All this time… you were so close and I never even knew." He carefully raised a hand to cup her face, pushing a piece of hair off her forehead like he couldn't believe she was real underneath his fingertips. "I can't believe it. I almost still don't believe it. Who did this to you? Why couldn't we locate you?"

She smiled sadly. "It was the Trix – well, actually just Darcy and Stormy, but they were mad enough for a hundred people. They attacked when you'd taken Alyssa out to see the library, and sealed it with an unbreakable bond. I had no way of being able to contact you; even the Dragon Fire connection was severed somehow, as I'm sure you knew. And I could see flashes, every so often, of what was going on in the real world. That was part of my 'punishment', to be cursed to see what I was missing and could never have." She swallowed hard. "I missed you so much, I sometimes thought I would die from the intensity of it."

"I missed you more," he insisted, before bringing his lips down to hers for a kiss that went on, and on, and on.

Eventually, I felt like I had to say something. "Er, hello? Does one of you two lovebirds want to get me down from here already?"

"A… Alyssa?" she said incredulously. "Is that you?"

Simultaneously, Dad stepped forward and produced a fingertip firebolt, which melted through the chains like a knife through butter. I dropped to the ground, rubbing my sore wrists, which were already turning red where the chains had chafed them. "Mom?"

Almost instantly, she darted forward and pulled me into her arms, burying her face in my hair and inhaling deeply, like she was trying to memorize my scent or something. "Oh my darling daughter, to hold you in my arms again… I thought I'd never get to do that." She was crying again, and when I looked up I felt something wet against my cheeks and realized that I was too.

"Mom…" She was thinner than I would've imagined, her face lined with sorrow in a way that gave her a sort of ageless quality, but she was real and alive and looked so much like me… Without thinking twice, I flung my arms around her waist and locked them tightly together, never wanting to let go.

"You're so big now… so strong and brave and beautiful," she said into my hair. "You've grown up into such a wonderful young woman. You have no idea how proud I am of you." My heart ached at her words, and I squeezed her tighter.

"My two beautiful girls," Dad said, wrapping his arms around the both of us, making it a group hug.

"Aw…" Taylor cooed sarcastically. I looked up to see her standing by the wall, eyes murderous in their rage. In all the excitement, I had managed to completely forget about her. "How cute. Really, this little family reunion is just so touching. Too bad it's not gonna last." She glared at Mom. "Hello, homewrecker."

Mom pursed her lips. "You look familiar… Diaspro's daughter?"

Taylor flinched at the mention of her own mother. "_You_ aren't worthy to say her name. You have no idea what your choices have done to her – to all of us." Her tone lightened, even as her eyes stayed cold as stone. "You being here now does put a little dent in my plans, but I'm sure I can still make this work."

"It would appear that the fruit doesn't fall so far from the crazy tree," Dad remarked wryly to Mom, who stifled a laugh and grabbed his hand.

"Let's see if we can't make her a little more… compliant," she said, a mischievous sort of light in her eyes. "You ready?"

He laughed, holding out his other arm towards Taylor. "You really have to ask?"

"Dragon Fury!" they yelled in unison. A giant fire dragon spawned from their connected fingertips and headed straight for Taylor.

But oddly enough, she didn't seem fazed by it; in fact, she actually smiled, like she was expecting it. I got a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach. "I'm rubber and Alyssa's glue," she chanted. "What bounces off of me sticks to you!" My eyes widened as the air around her shimmered in the aftermath of the spell.

What was that Palladium had taught us? _When it comes to magic, bigger does not always mean better. Even the most complex of spells can often be countered or undone by a simple spell._

Here was the real live proof.

Dad realized what was happening a beat too late. "Alyssa, no!" he shouted.

The fire dragon bounced off of Taylor like she was a rubber ball, changed course, and headed straight for me.

"No!"

There was a deafening roar as the powerful spell made contact. Taylor laughed viciously, before transporting herself away who knows where. I let out an ear-piercing scream.

And then everything went black.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter Fourteen

The first thing I felt when I awoke was an ear-splitting headache, like someone had cracked my skull open. "Water," I said to no one, my voice barely a whisper. "I need water."

As if by magic, a tall glass of water appeared in my line of sight, extended by a thin, tanned arm covered with a stack of gold bangle bracelets. "Here you go, sweetie," a familiar sweet, calm voice said as I gulped it hungrily, the cold, smooth water running over my tongue and quenching my Sahara Desert thirst. I looked up to see Ivy standing by the bedside, a small smile on her face. "Want some more?"

"…Yes please." From the other side, Aqua handed me another cup, which I drank down in one gulp. After a few more cups of water, the pain in my head had ebbed to the point where I felt almost normal, and I sat up against the back of the… bed? "Where am I?" I asked, looking around me for the first time and noticing the plain white walls, gray plastic raised bed with guardrails, and beeping machines full of strange wires, some of which appeared to be attached to me. This place looked nothing like Alfea, even the infirmary (which I'd had the unpleasant experience of spending the night in once, after one of Lola's pimple-erasing spells went wrong – don't ask).

"The Magix Hospital. Apparently you passed out and no one had a clue what was going on with you, so Nurse Ophelia sent you here." That was Dee, who was now running a scan over my body with her ladybug device. "Looks like nothing too serious, though. Whatever it was must've just been an extreme adverse reaction to something, because you're perfectly fine now."

"Ugh, speak for yourself." Although the water had helped immensely, my head was still pounding something fierce. I tried rubbing my temples, a trick Ivy always used when she was complaining of headaches, but it didn't do much.

"So, miss Alyssa," Lola said, perching herself at the foot of my bed, "I believe you have some explaining to do." She stared down at me with a pointed look.

For a moment, I had no idea what she was talking about, but then with a start it all came rushing back. "Um… where do you want me to start?" I asked feebly.

"How about when you realized your roommate was a psychopathic bitch hell-bent on destroying you?" Aqua crossed her arms over her chest. "We're your friends, 'Liss; you know you can tell us anything."

I sighed. "Okay, I'm sorry for keeping you in the dark. But really, I only discovered the full depths of Taylor's psychosis today, and then I was kind of busy trying not to die." A thought occurred to me. "What exactly happened to her? Taylor, I mean."

Mel laughed. "Ms Faragonda is dealing with her right now. She's been expelled, of course, and I think they were mentioning mandatory anger management rehab and something like house arrest. You parents were even talking about pressing charges against her."

"Speaking of which," Aqua continued, bending over and resting her head in her hands on the edge of my bed, grinning conspiratorily at me, "your mom is one certified hottie. I can see why your dad seems unable to keep his hands off her."

"Aqua!" Ivy reprimanded, shooting the dark girl a look. Aqua just shrugged impishly and laughed it off.

"My parents… where are my parents?" The word felt strange on my tongue. For so long it had been just Dad, and now… _parents_. It was hard to wrap my mind around.

"Outside. The doctors said they could wait in here for when you wake up, but they wanted to spend some time together, alone. So they said we could wait for you instead."

"Can I go see them?"

"I don't see why not. As long as you can get out of bed."

That would prove to be more difficult than I thought. Regardless of what Dee's bug thing said, my legs barely felt strong enough to support my body weight. Finally, with the help of Mel and Aqua, I pulled myself out of bed and stumbled awkwardly to the door. Pulling it open cautiously, I peered outside and saw a sight that made me stop dead in my tracks.

Right outside my hospital room were my parents, arms wrapped tightly around each other, passionately making out. It would have been cute if they weren't… my parents. "You guys!" I chided, shaking a finger at them. "Get a room!"

Startled, they broke apart. Mom's cheeks were as red as her hair, and Dad was… laughing? I'd never heard him laugh before; he was always so serious. "Sorry, sweetie," Mom said, smoothing her hair, which had somehow become tangled (gee, I wonder how?).

I tried to laugh it off, even as a part of me cringed inside at the sight that could never be unseen. "It's okay. You two haven't seen each other in ten years. I understand."

"Girls, could you give us some privacy please?" Dad asked pointedly, adjusting the lapels of his trademark long burgundy coat.

"Sure," Lola said. "Come on, gang, I'm thirsty, and I saw a soda machine down the hall."

"I could go for a snack," Dee quipped, as my friends trailed down the hall and out of sight.

Dad sat down in one of the plastic chairs, and I did the same. Mom looked as if she was going to sit on Dad's lap, then thought better of it and took the chair on the other side of me. "So, Alyssa…" she started.

"So, _Mom_," I echoed, putting emphasis on the word _Mom_. "Wow, that feels weird to say."

She laughed. "I know. I never knew my parents either. In fact, my whole childhood was very non-traditional. So once I knew I was having a daughter, I told myself that I wouldn't let you have such a bad childhood like I had. Of course, I didn't really make good on my promise, did I?"

"No… not really," I laughed. "But it's okay. You're here now. And I'm sure within a matter of days, we'll have made up for all the mother-daughter bonding time we've missed over the last fifteen years."

"Oh great," Dad groaned. "Shopping. Just don't expect me to carry your bags for you."

We both laughed. "Don't worry – you're free from bag-carrying duty." He looked momentarily relieved, until I added, "But if you don't start explaining why you kept so many secrets from me, maybe you won't be so lucky."

He sighed. "I knew this conversation was coming the day I sent you off to Alfea, but that doesn't mean I'm any more prepared to have it. Okay. What do you want to know?"

"Why you lied to me about everything," I said, without skipping a beat. "That seems like a good place to start."

Mom reached out to take my hand in hers. "I can't say I agree wholeheartedly with everything your father did to raise you, but you have to understand that there are reasons why he did what he did that you can't hope to understand, without knowing our story. Please, don't hate him for doing what he thought was necessary to protect you."

I could feel my resolve weakening at the sincerity in her voice. If it had been Dad, I could've dismissed those words, but Mom was another story. "Okay then," I said, turning to her. "Tell me this story of yours."

"Ours was an unusual love story. When I graduated Alfea, I thought my life was laid out for me – I'd marry Sky and become the Queen of Eraklyon." Both Dad and I flinched at her words. "Yes, Taylor was right in that one miniscule detail, although anything else she claimed about me having ruined her life is entirely false." I relaxed slightly. "And then… I realized that I didn't actually love him, and that I wanted more from life than to be queen of a planet not mine by birth. So I ran off to Sparx, which was still a frozen wasteland at the time, and tried to restore it on my own." She reached over me and squeezed Dad's hand. "And that's when your father caught up to me."

"If I recall correctly, I pulled you out of a snowbank unconscious," he teased, staring at her with such love in his eyes that it almost took my breath away.

"Details," she laughed. "I certainly was not expecting to fall in love with him; it just sort of… happened. And then it reached the point where I could not live without him. There were some kinks in the road because of external forces beyond our control, but for a while, things were quite close to perfect. Then you came along, and they got even closer." She sighed and stared down at her lap. "And then the Trix ruined it all."

"Who are these witches?" I wondered out loud.

"In a word: nasty, ruthless, catty, bitchy, and heartless. Actually, that was more like five, wasn't it?" Dad arched a brow.

"Be nice." Mom tapped him playfully on the nose, and he smiled. "They were a giant thorn in my side throughout high school, and evidently they really don't know how to give up a grudge. But all that's in the past now," she declared, taking both of our hands and joining all three of them together on my lap.

I pursed my lips. "As sweet as that story was, I still don't think either of you really answered my question."

"When your mother disappeared, it left me in a very tight spot. Even after fighting tooth and nail with the Magix Council, they still didn't want me in a position of power; hence why you won't find any records of me as King of Sparx." Dad chuckled slightly. "It's a truly ridiculous idea, really, given the irony. So I was none too nicely kicked out of the palace, and had to scramble to find somewhere to raise you. You were so young, you didn't remember very much… and at first, I just thought it was easier to say that she had died, than get into the whole story." He sighed. "And when you got older… At first I rationalized it as protecting you from people like Taylor, although I certainly never imagined dealing with someone of her magnitude of psychosis. Kids can be cruel, and as is, I saw you suffer from taunts about your eyes; that's why I homeschooled you. But I won't lie; I was motivated to keep you in the dark for personal reasons as well." I opened my mouth to protest, but he cut me off. "You and I never had that great of a relationship, and I'm sorry for that–" I inwardly winced "but do you remember how you reacted when Faragonda told you the truth?" I nodded. "It was selfish of me, yes, but I didn't want you to hate me for the mistakes in my past, more than you already seemed to resent me for not knowing how to be a parent."

I thought about it for a moment. "I hate that you're right," I finally admitted. "Because this means I can't be mad at you."

"Oh, honey, you're a teenager. It's your right to be mad at your parents for all sorts of reasons, whether they're justifiable or not." I looked at Dad in shock. In all my years of life, I had never known him to make anything remotely approaching a joke.

Mom laughed and smoothed my hair. "You had us so worried there, Alyssa. I don't know what I would have done if…"

"But I'm fine," I interrupted, not liking the direction this seemed to be heading. "So let's not think about this anymore."

"Fair enough," she said. "There are a few other things we need to talk about as a family, but I think we should let Alyssa see her visitor, shouldn't we?" Dad made a face as she winked at me.

"What? Who?" I racked my brains, trying to figure out who it could be. As far as I knew, all of my friends were getting snacks. And there was no way Taylor grew a conscience and came to visit me (like my friends and parents would have let her within twenty feet of me), so that left…

"Hey, Alyssa…" I heard a very familiar voice say, before I turned around to see Ryan standing behind me in the hospital hall, holding a bouquet of white tulips and staring shyly at his feet.

Mom smiled at me. "I think we'll give you two kids some alone time," she said, pulling Dad to his feet. "Come on, love, let's go join Alyssa's friends and get a snack."

Soon they were gone, and it was just Ryan and me standing in the hallway. "So…" I said, for lack of anything better to say.

"So…" he echoed. I could tell he was just as nervous as I was. "These are for you," he said finally, handing over the flowers.

"Thank you." I buried my nose in the soft petals and took a long inhale, filling my nose with the sweet perfume. "They're beautiful."

We stood there in awkward silence together for a few moments more, until Ryan finally said, "I don't know how to say this, but for what it's worth, I'm sorry."

I exhaled. "I knew you had a sister, but…"

"Believe me, I didn't know either that she was this… unhinged." He shuddered. "She was always a little off growing up, but I just chalked it up to her being a girl and left it alone. If I'd known, I would've done something, I promise." He was so earnest and sweet that my heart just melted.

"I believe you, don't worry." I took another sniff of the flowers again. They really were gorgeous – and immaculately flawless, which meant they must've been expensive. Someone was obviously trying to make up for something. "Why're you so nervous?" I finally asked, noticing the obvious nervous tics.

He hesitated. "I really, _really_ like you, Alyssa. And I hope you'll still give me a chance."

"Why wouldn't I?" I asked softly. Feeling suddenly emboldened, I took a few steps forward, wrapped my arms around his neck, and kissed him softly. Again, I felt that distinct sensation like I was floating on air.

When we finally broke the kiss, Ryan mumbled something under his breath. "What?" I asked.

"Will you go to the farewell dance with me?" he blurted loudly, and the whole room stood still, waiting in anticipation for my answer. Behind him, I could see my friends, with my parents, coming back from the snack machines, and they too were staring at me intensely, waiting to hear what I would say next.

I didn't have to think twice about what my answer would be. "Of course!"


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter Fifteen

"Can anyone find my Philosophy perfume? You know, the one that smells like vanilla cake batter?" That was Lola, who was traipsing around the suite in her strapless bra and lace underwear – she apparently had no qualms about being nearly naked. All the doors had been left open, so everyone could walk around to other people's rooms and borrow shoes, jewelry, makeup, etc.

"Oh, I have it," Ivy said, handing over the little bottle. "Sorry about that."

"No problem," Lola said, spraying the air with a good portion of what was left inside the bottle and walking through the mist. "Anybody else want some? There's only a little left."

"I'll take it," I said, looking up from where I had been pawing through Ivy's jewelry collection. "Thanks, Lo."

"No problem, 'Liss," she said, eyeing my simple sweatpants-and-T-shirt spa outfit. "You'd better go slip into that gorgeous dress soon. The Red Fountain guys will be arriving soon."

Glancing at the time, I yelped. "Yikes, you're right! Thanks for the heads-up!" And with that, I dashed back into my room, pulling the door shut behind me so I could change.

It was the eve of the farewell dance, and no one was more crazed-out and excited than the girls of Suite 12. Ever since the final classes of the year had let out we had been prepping and primping, starting with mani-pedis, facials, and massages at the Magix Day Spa (courtesy of Solaria's royal court, thanks to Lola). Now, our nails looked fab, our skin glowed, and all the stress knots in our backs were gone, gone, gone.

Thankfully, finally so was Taylor. Sometime during final exams (which she had been forbidden from taking), the last of her stuff had been packed up and shipped back home. Now I officially had a single, although unofficially I'd had a single for a few days now, since Taylor had been expelled as soon as Ms Faragonda caught wind of how she'd tried to kill me. Best of all, according to Ryan, their dad had finally grown a backbone and asked Diaspro for a divorce, and she was taking Taylor with her back to her home realm of Isis. So now, if I ever spent any time with Ryan on Eraklyon, I wouldn't have to worry about Taylor poisoning my breakfast cereal or anything.

Anyway. So Taylor was gone and we all looked fabulous. After a quick snack, we headed to Lily's, a chichi salon in Magix, where we all got our hair blown out and professionally styled, as well as a professional makeup job. Then we'd hurried back to Alfea to slip into our dresses, shoes, and jewelry, as well as make any last-minute touch-ups to our hair and makeup.

About fifteen minutes later, all the doors had been closed and then re-opened, as the six of us emerged.

"Are you sure I look okay in a dress?" Dee worried, staring at herself in the full-length mirror. Her dress was simple and form-fitting, strapless with a sweetheart neckline and a hem that ended just above the knee, made of raspberry red silk with an orange band at the empire waist that had several circle cutouts ranging in sizes that allowed the raspberry fabric to peek through. With it she wore orange patent leather ballet flats with a gold cutout logo medallion on the toe, since she'd refused on principal to wear heels. Her hair had been flat-ironed and side-parted so that her bangs swept across her forehead, and her makeup was minimal. She still looked like herself, just a slightly more glammed up version. "Maybe I should go back and change."

"_No_!" Lola exclaimed. "You look fabulous, Dee, and you're staying exactly like that." Of course, she looked like she'd stepped out from the pages of a fashion magazine, complete with impractically high heels – tonight's pair were metallic gold leather open-toe T-strap sandals studded with crystals on the four-and-a-half-inch heels. With them, she'd paired a strapless tangerine orange silk dress with a pleated and tiered skirt that fell in loose, uneven waves of fabric around her legs to just below mid-thigh. Her blond hair was flat-ironed and layered softly around her face, her bangs styled into a slight flip above her forehead.

"You're _really_ sure I look alright?" she echoed.

"Ugh, now is not a good time to have a fashion crisis. You _loved_ the dress when we tried it on in the store. Just channel that good feeling."

"Channel that good feeling. How very… _Ivy_ of you," I joked.

"Hey! Don't diss the flower-power!" Ivy retorted, before breaking into loud giggles that spread across the room as she realized how stupid what she'd just said sounded. In a strapless pale pink chiffon and silk dress with a sweetheart neckline, ruched bodice, and pale pink chiffon rosette detailing on the right shoulder going all the way around like a shoulder strap, she looked almost otherworldly beautiful, like a nymph or nature goddess. Her super-long dark blond hair had new platinum blond highlights, and was swept up into a high bun with wispy pieces 'falling out' and framing her face.

"How do I look?" I asked, plucking nervously at the hem of my own dress, made of seafoam green silk with a ruched bodice, halter neck, large bow tied at the empire waist, and a mid-thigh-length skirt with a slightly uneven hem. I hadn't been able to talk Lola out of buying me the silver glitter four-inch sling-back peep-toe heels with platform soles, so instead I was teetering nervously, praying I wouldn't step on Ryan's feet all night. My red hair was curled into ringlets that were individually glossed and then misted lightly with glitter hairspray for that little extra something, and sparkling body powder had been dusted all over my shoulders, legs, and arms, to take the glitter idea a step further. It was undeniably pretty, but at the same time I wasn't sure if all the glitter made me look like I'd stepped out of a kindergartener's art project.

"Girl, it should be illegal to look as good as you do," Mel said, rearranging her own hair – which had been curled into loose, beachy waves – around her face. Her dress was a stunning royal blue satin number with a ballerina neckline, three-quarters-sleeves, and a short, mid-thigh-length skirt. No crazy heels for her, though; she'd put her foot down most firmly, insisting "what's the point of a dance if you can't _dance_?" (Privately I agreed with her, but I wasn't strong enough to stand up to Lola when it came to fashion.)

"Yeah, Ryan is going to fall to his knees and worship at your feet when he sees you in that thing," Lola quipped.

I laughed. "Okay, no need to go overboard, Lo," I said. "And besides, it's not like there's anything really serious going on between us."

"Yeah right," Aqua scoffed. "I've seen the way that boy looks at you. Girl, he is _smitten_!" She was dressed to kill in a deep amethyst purple empire-waist V-neck halter dress with a black band at the bust that had beaded detail in the center, and a slightly-above-the-knee-length skirt. Her long dark hair had been flat-ironed stick-straight and glossy, and then swept up into a tight, high ponytail that showed off her tanned bare back.

I blushed. "You really think so?"

"Would I lie to you?"

"Aqua's right," Ivy said. "The way he acts around you, all shy and awkward and nervous… If those aren't the telltale signs of a guy in deep, I don't know what are."

"Come on, girls!" Lola cried. "Let's go break some Red Fountain hottie hearts!"

"Sounds good to me," Mel said, as she followed Lola and Aqua out the door of the suite, with Dee and Ivy laughing and trailing behind. I paused, checking my reflection in the mirror and rearranging some of my ringlets around my shoulders, adding one last coat of lip gloss.

"Ready to break some Red Fountain hottie hearts, indeed." I nodded at my reflection.

* * *

Ryan was the first thing I saw as I came down the stairs, waiting for me at the bottom holding a pretty white rose corsage. "Alyssa!" he cried, his face lighting up when he saw me. "Wow, you look… _amazing_…"

"As do you," I said. In his perfectly-cut black suit with a crisp white button-down shirt under it, his hair for once combed straight instead of its usual messy style, he looked straight out of one of Lola's fashion magazine spreads. I attached the simple white calla lily I'd picked out at a floral shop in Magix to the lapel of his jacket, as he pinned the corsage to the top of my dress. Taking advantage of our proximity, he wrapped his arms around me and pulled me against him, running his fingers through my red ringlets as I rested my head on his shoulder and inhaled the woodsy scent of his cologne.

"Alyssa, sweetie, you look so gorgeous!" Mom cried, as she and Dad approached. My cheeks flushed bright red in spite of my efforts to keep them looking natural, and I sprang apart from Ryan as if I'd been burned with a hot curling iron. Mom giggled as Dad shifted from side to side awkwardly, looking like he was having a hard time keeping from hitting Ryan with a powerful curse.

Mom and Dad had decided to stick around for the last week of school, before we all went back to Sparx for the summer – where, amazingly enough, we were moving back into the palace! (There was still some red tape where Dad was concerned, but I didn't pay attention to the fine details once Mom announced that I was going to be a princess.) They were staying at a hotel downtown, and whenever I could I'd sneak off into Magix so we could hang out. Ryan had even met up with us once, though things had been very tense between him and Dad (in Dad's defense, I think it was just general fatherly overprotectiveness, rather than any specific vendetta).

"You guys don't look half bad yourselves." And it was true. Mom practically glowed in a sleek sapphire blue sleeveless gown with a long slit up one side of the skirt, her red hair in a high bun with a few tendrils framing her face, while – miracle of all miracles – Dad had actually ditched his ubiquitous long burgundy coat. My classmates and the Red Fountain boys were oh-so-unsubtle in their gawking, and even I knew it wasn't just because they were remarkably young-looking to be parents or that they looked absolutely adorable together.

In the last few days after Taylor's expulsion, I'd dealt with whispered rumors and icy glances, along with a few catty comments about my parentage. But thankfully, they kept it just to that – catty comments. I liked to think it was because Ms Faragonda had issued a statement to all of Alfea that I was not a potential harm to myself or others, but it was most likely because they were just scared of provoking my dad. Oh well. Whatever works. Anyone I care about doesn't mind it, and as for the rest – well, who needs them?

Ryan cleared his throat somewhat impatiently behind me, and I whirled around to see him outstretching his hand to me. "Dance, Alyssa?"

"Of course."

"So… I know you probably have some big plans with your parents, but… is there any chance you'd want to come to Eraklyon for part of the summer?" Ryan asked, clearly flustered. "I just… there's this Summer Ball thing, and I really want you to be my date…"

I silenced him with a kiss. "Of course I'll be your date for the Summer Ball. And I'd love to see Eraklyon. I haven't seen too much of the realms besides Sparx and Magix."

"And your parents? Will your dad crucify me for asking you out?" He shot a worried-looking glance towards my dancing parents.

I laughed. "I know it's intimidating, but he's really not that bad when you get to know him, I swear."

"I'll have to take your word for it, then."

I was leaning in to kiss him again when Lola chose that moment to butt in. "Sorry Ryan, but I'm afraid I have to borrow our girl," she said, pulling me away from Ryan.

"I'll find you later!" I called over my shoulder, as Lola dragged me away. Ryan smiled and shook his head as he watched me go, before a few of his friends came along and dragged him off to the refreshments table.

"Now what was so important that you had to drag me away from Ryan?" I asked Lola once we were out of earshot.

She laughed. "Calm down, 'Liss, there'll be plenty of time to hang out with _Ryan_ later. But we need to take our pictures now! The photographer said she'll do ours now."

"What pictures?"

Lola gave me a look. "Hello? Pictures for the yearbook! Come on, there're pictures of our moms all over the place. We should get some pictures as a group – the Suite 12 girls. Minus Taylor, of course."

I rolled my eyes, but followed her over to the part of the courtyard where the other four were already fixing their hair, smoothing wrinkles on their dresses, and touching up their makeup. A red-haired woman in a quirky black and orange dress waited patiently with a magi-camera floating gently above her hands.

"Alright! Is everyone here now?" she asked. "I'm Mirta, if you didn't know, a former Alfea graduate. In fact, I knew all your moms when they were your age."

"Cool," Ivy said. "Wait… are you the girl who got turned into a pumpkin?"

"Yes, that's me," Mirta said unashamedly. "You must be Flora's daughter, Ivy. Gosh, you look so much like your mother. Tell her I said hi when you go home for summer, will you?"

"Sure," Ivy said, arranging her hair around her face. "Okay, I think we're good."

"Alright then. Scoot in close and say cheese!"

"Cheese!"

The shutter went off in a bright flash, and then the image popped up on the screen. "Aw, this is a good one. You all look so pretty! What do you want me to put in the caption?"

"All our names, of course."

"Oh, that's so boring!" Mirta protested. "Come on, you must have something better!"

"What about the girls of Suite 12?" Lola proposed.

Mirta wrinkled her nose. "Also boring. What about…. hey, what about the Winx Club? That's what your moms used to call each other. I think it'd be cute if you adopted it. Like, the next generation or something."

I thought about it. That was kind of cool. "I like it! Alright, put us down as the Winx Club."

"Excellent!" Mirta beamed, a mega-watt grin that took over her entire face. "I can just picture it – "The Winx Club." Ooh! Maybe I'll even do a whole two-page spread on you guys!" She walked off, the magi-camera floating behind her on a train of fairy dust sparkles.

"The Winx Club, huh?" Mom said, coming up from behind me with Dad in tow. "God, I haven't heard that name in forever. But aren't we a little old for a feature in Alfea's yearbook?"

I laughed. "Silly Mom, it's like… the next generation or something. Of course you guys will always be the original."

Dad wrapped his arms around Mom's waist from behind her and hugged her against his body. "Did someone say Winx Club? That brings back memories."

Mom twisted her neck to look at him. "Watch it – those memories probably wouldn't be too appreciated on Alfea grounds, especially not from your point of view."

"You're probably right, darling," he said, pressing his lips to hers for a very long and public kiss that made some of the older Alfea faculty members, who had been watching their little exchange with great fascination, avert their gaze. Even Ms Faragonda appeared taken back.

"You guys!" I whined finally. "Enough already!"

They broke apart, laughing. "Sorry, sweetie," Mom said. "Was that Mirta taking your pictures? I hardly recognized her. Wow, she's so pretty now. I remember back in the day when we were all teenagers, she was _so_ awkward. And she used to be a witch, remember? Or… well… kind of. Her whole background is sort of dicey."

Dad laughed, pulling Mom against him again. "I remember her. Icy and Darcy said something to the like when you all attacked Cloud Tower, and then we used an illusion spell to trick her and lower your defenses."

"_Shhh!_" Mom hissed. "Don't talk about that stuff _now_!"

Dad's eyes took on a teasing light – something I'd only recently learned to recognize in him, since before Mom's return it never used to exist in him. "Why not? Are you just sore from that time I kicked your butt when you were all mad about losing Tecna to the Omega portal?"

"Hey, let's not forget who _won_ that fight," Mom said, suddenly sounding defensive.

"Only because your little friends reversed my Oppositus spell. If they hadn't sprinkled their fairy dust on the ice and totally unbalanced the playing field, I would have won. Just admit it." Okay, one of these days I _seriously_ need to ask my parents to explain their full history together. This whole little exchange was making my head spin.

"At the time, such a thing as a level playing field didn't exist, because you were a dangerous escaped criminal with more power than we had."

"But still…"

"Will you two save this for another time?" I asked finally. "In case you hadn't noticed, people are starting to stare."

Mom and Dad looked around and, sure enough, their little playful bickering had gathered quite a crowd. Mom giggled, a pale pink blush covering her cheeks, and Dad just smirked.

Ryan appeared out of the masses and offered me his hand, as the band started playing another slow song. "May I, Alyssa?" he asked me, although he was looking straight at my parents.

Dad stared at him with a look that could have leveled half of Magix, but Mom waved it off and laughed. "Go ahead, Alyssa, dance with your boyfriend. Your father and I will be just fine."

Ryan whirled me off away from my parents, and we spent the next four songs dancing in each other's arms. Finally, the band took a break, and a DJ switched on a new, faster song that I recognized as being popular in Magix lately. Instantly, Mel and Aqua hit the dance floor, carving out a spot front and center to showcase their moves.

Ryan noticed me staring. "Go if that's what you want. I'll be fine."

"Thanks, Ryan," I said, standing on my tiptoes to peck him on the lips. "I promise I'll spend more time with you later."

"Don't worry about it. You've got three different groups of people to please tonight – family, friends, _and_ boyfriend. Don't feel like you need to spend all of your time with just one of them."

Wait – did he just call himself my _boyfriend_?

Noticing my shocked expression, he added, "Yes, I did just say boyfriend," as if he could read my mind. "Is that a problem? Do you not want to be my girlfriend?"

"Of course I want to be your girlfriend! I just… we didn't really talk about this, did we?"

Ryan just smiled. "You were attacked by my psycho sister. I think that means I'm indebted to you for life."

I scowled at the mention of Taylor, however indirect it was. "I don't want to think about her tonight," I said, leaning against him. "Tonight, all I want to do is have an awesome time."

"Then go dance with your friends," he said, pointing me towards the center of the dance floor, where a little circle had formed around Mel and Aqua, who were dancing up a storm. After one more kiss and a smile shot over my shoulder, I headed over there.

"Hey guys, move over and make some room for lil' ol' me!" I exclaimed, nudging Mel with my hip.

"Alyssa! Now it's really a party," Aqua exclaimed. She leaned her head towards mine and whispered in my ear, "I saw you talking with Ryan earlier. I expect full deets later tonight."

"You gotcha," I said, trying to mimic her movements (and failing miserably, of course; that girl had a crazy inner rhythm).

Hours seemed to pass, as the three of us moved in a tight little group in the center of the dance floor. We danced endlessly, the songs shifting seamlessly from one to the next without so much as a stop in the music. Lola, Ivy, and even Dee joined our circle one by one, adding their own special flair.

Finally, the band came back from their break and we headed towards one of the lavender-covered tables for snacks. "Whew, that was a lot of dancing," Aqua said, wiping sweat from her brow as she gulped down some punch.

"I thought you said there was no such thing as too much dancing," Lola teased, jabbing her in the ribs.

"Now girls, calm down. There'll be plenty of time for that next year. Right now, let's just enjoy our time together before we all leave for summer break." Ivy nibbled off the edge of a cookie.

My eyes got starry. "Next year… I can't believe we're going to be sophomores!"

"And I heard that sophomore year is even better than the first year," Ivy said knowingly.

I draped my arm around her slim shoulders. "Honestly, I don't know how it could be possible for next year to get any better. I mean, in just one year I came to Magix, learned more about my past and family, made five _amazing _best friends–"

"Got attacked by a psycho slut," Lola put in.

I clenched my hands into fists but ignored her. That was just Lola, and I loved for it anyways, even if she did have a tendency to say inappropriate things a lot. "Was reunited with my mom, and got a boyfriend. How could it get any better?"

"Boyfriend?" Mel asked eagerly. "When did this happen?"

Aqua smiled knowingly as I said, "I'll fill you all in later."

A streak of something white blurred across the starry night sky. "Look, everybody, a shooting star!" Ivy cried, pointing towards the sky. "Make a wish," she whispered, screwing her eyes shut in concentration.

I looked at my parents, dancing by the DJ booth; Ryan, chatting with some of his friends by the snacks table; and finally back at my friends, who were all staring eagerly up at the sky. "I don't need to," I said, beaming. "I've already got everything I ever wished for right here."

* * *

**Author's Note: To everyone reading this, thank you so much. I hope you enjoyed it. And for those of you who've been reading this story for the first time, there are two more volumes of Alyssa's adventures at Alfea: What's Past is Prologue (sophomore year) and What's Left of Me (junior year).**

**See you all around!**

**- Authoress**

* * *

**First Completed: 11-02-09**

**Final Edition: 1-03-12**


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